Absolution Part IV
by The Prime Minister
Summary: The follow-up to part 3. Xellos and Lina deal with their new domesticity and travel to visit her parents. Xellos finally admits how he feels, but how will Lina react?


Disclaimer: Okay, folks, I don't own the characters, not making money, etc. This is obviously the latest installment in my Slayers cycle of fics. Just so you know, this, like all the other parts, has a lemony scene in it or two, but some of them are actually in there for a reason! Anyway, consider yourself warned, and don't read if that sort of thing bothers you. Hope you enjoy, and reviews are greatly appreciated.

**Absolution Part IV  
by the Prime Minister**

"I'm really sorry, Miss Filia," Xellos said for the umpteenth time that day. The dragon was still obviously upset over catching him and Lina making love in the kitchen that morning before the children were up. He really didn't understand why she was so put out. After all, he and Lina had only been following normal human instinct, and they hadn't thought anyone was around to see or interrupt them. Therefore Lina was bent over the table, his hands on her hips as he moved against her from behind, the both of them nearly as shocked as Filia when she shuffled into the kitchen, yawning. Xellos, of course, had been the one to recover first. "Good morning," he said brightly, smiling without pausing in his movements. Filia had just stared at them, her sleep-addled brain unable to comprehend to what she was seeing. Lina had buried her face in her arms and groaned in despair and embarrassment, and then Filia's eyes had opened wide.

"Oh gods!" she cried, turning around quickly. "I'm sorry, so sorry," she mumbled, stumbling toward the door, hand over her eyes.

"Don't worry," Xellos called after her, impish grin on his face. "I'll clean the table afterwards."

"Xellos," Lina moaned. "That's enough."

Xellos sighed, feeling the mood and their passions shattered. "Very well," he sighed, withdrawing and tucking himself back in his pants.

Filia stood outside the door, able to hear them but not see them. "Are you two decent?" she had asked sharply.

"As decent as Xellos ever is," Lina said with resignation. "You can come in now."

Filia burst into the room, blue eyes blazing. "What do you think you were doing in here!" she railed. "Don't you two have a room for that sort of thing?"

"Yes, but we got up earlier than normal to fix a pre-breakfast snack," Xellos had explained. "Besides, we didn't want to wake Gorran. He hardly ever seems to sleep anymore. Then, once we were in here, things just sort of happened."

Filia sighed and her shoulders slumped in defeat. "Miss Lina, I expected more out of you," she muttered.

Lina blushed darkly and shrugged. "What can I say? I was sorta caught up in the moment."

Filia snorted. "Oh, honestly."

Xellos put on a mocking scowl and waggled his finger at Filia. "Besides, Miss Filia, aren't you ashamed you walked in on us like that? Couples aren't supposed to be observed in such intimate moments."

"Actually," Lina said, "some people pay to be watched."

Xellos smiled at her evilly. "Really?" he asked.

"Don't you even think about it," she growled in return.

"Augh!" Filia growled. "I can't believe you two!"

Xellos had shrugged. "Uh, boys will be boys?" he asked lamely, at which point Filia had begun throwing all manner of things at his head, screaming and swearing the whole time. That was why it was now nearly suppertime and Xellos was still apologizing.

"I don't care how sorry you are," Filia snapped at him. "I'm going to have nightmares for weeks about it, and 'sorry' isn't going to change that."

"Oh, it wasn't that bad," Xellos replied with a wink. "Did it really look like we were having such an awful time for it to be nightmarish?"

Filia turned absolutely crimson and stormed out of the room. Lina looked up from nursing Gorran and shook her head. "You really shouldn't tease her like that," she murmured. "You're going to drive her crazy."

Xellos sighed and pulled up a chair next to her. "I drive you crazy, too," he said with a smile, reaching out and taking one of her slender hands in his.

Lina blushed and pressed her lips together. "It's not the same thing," she muttered.

He winked and raised her hand to his mouth, kissing the knuckles. "I know, I know," he replied. "You know, I was thinking that we should probably get our own house, now that Gorran's a bit older."

"You're right," Lina conceded. "It's just nice, I think, for Lecia to have a playmate."

"Well," Xellos said, thinking, "Filia could probably drop him off during the day while she worked at the shop, if we had a place in town."

"And what would I do all day, with you being all domestic and whatnot?"

"The children need to be taught, and I can't do that and cook, clean, and do the laundry at the same time."

"You expect me to play teacher to them?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"If you want to," he replied with a shrug. "You know more than most about magic and the like, and I can fill in the gaps where you need me to."

"I don't mind, I guess," she admitted. "And it'll give me more time to spend with you and Gorran."

"And Lecia needs to be around her little brother more," Xellos added.

"Yeah, there's that. It's just that this town is so...tiny. There's really nothing for us here."

"True," Xellos said, suddenly turning serious. It was spring now, the winter having passed uneventfully. He and Lina hadn't quarreled in quite some time, and in fact often used the magic of the rings to truly understand how the other person was feeling. He was coming to realize just how tender and sweet Lina was underneath her psychopathic exterior. Still, just because they hadn't been threatened all winter didn't mean that they wouldn't come under attack soon. "I understand how you feel, dearest, and to a certain extent I share your feelings. Still, the children are young, and just because we haven't been attacked in a while doesn't mean we won't be. I'd honestly prefer to stay near to Filia and Val until both children are a little more able to defend themselves, if you wouldn't mind."

Lina frowned slightly and looked down at the nursing child, sighing. "Okay, I can see that. But how much longer do you think it will take?"

He squeezed her hand and sent a wave of sympathy to her through the rings. "I'm afraid it will be a few more years, at least until Lecia gets strong enough to protect her brother. There are a few spells I'd like to teach Val, too. I think I can help him get stronger more quickly than Filia could."

"You are several thousand years older than she is," Lina said with a raised eyebrow. "But you're right, the kids need to be safe." She sat for a few moments, waiting to see if Gorran was finished, then switched him to the other breast. "Hey, Xellos, aren't you tired of worrying about all this Monster garbage?"

Xellos considered. "I think my barriers will hold just fine, for now," he replied.

"That's not what I mean and you know it. Why do we keep having to run and hide from them? Aren't they weak right now? Why don't we just burst in and kick some ass?"

Xellos shook his head slowly. "You're right, Dynast and Dolphin are weak right now. However, my mistress is not. If we were the ones staging an attack, she'd be forced to step in and help out her brethren. We could probably defeat the other two, but never her. On the other hand, if the other two attack us, she isn't necessarily bound to attack with them."

"Are you still so scared of her? I mean, she was your mistress once, but not anymore."

Xellos looked at her flatly. "Yes, I am. She's the only person in this world I'm afraid of. Because she only made me and a few underlings for minions, she has far more power than the other Monster Lords. If you thought Gaav and Phibrizzo were difficult to handle..."

Lina swallowed and nodded. "Okay, I see what you mean. Still, I hate just sitting here."

"Then work on refining the spell you used to free me from Xellas. If you can perfect that then we won't have any problems."

"You're okay with that?"

"I no longer have any loyalty whatsoever to my former race, dearest. I'll help you in any way I can, wholeheartedly this time."

"But the books...they were buried in Moleccia, weren't they?"

"Well, yes, but now that those ruins have collapsed they might actually be safer to explore."

"All right, then," she muttered, looking down at Gorran as he made a little noise and sighed, releasing her nipple. She put him against her shoulder and gently patted his back, rising from her chair and walking around the room. Gorran's dark eyes opened and closed in concentration, and finally he burped.

Xellos stood as well and went over to them, kissing Gorran on the head and Lina on the temple. "I guess I had better start cooking," he murmured.

Gorran squealed and smiled at Xellos, exposing his toothless gums. "Oh!" Lina gasped. "He smiled again!"

"Of course he did," Xellos cooed, tickling the baby under his chin. "He knows his daddy loves him."

Gorran squealed again and rested his head against Lina's shoulders, his unruly red hair sticking out all over the place.

"Daddy!" they heard Lecia call from the living room. "When's dinner?"

"Right away," he replied, and kissed Lina again. "I'll get on that immediately."

The children were called in and the table was set, Filia offering up a brief prayer before they began to eat. Xellos rolled his eyes at Lina like he always did when Filia thanked the gods for something, and Lina scowled at him. Filia was peevish all through dinner, and Xellos just sat and watched as the children ate and squabbled and Lina plowed through vast quantities of his cooking. Gorran sat in his lap, propped up against him so he could see around him now that he could sit up on his own. Every once in a while Xellos would take a bite of food, then smile and giggle at Gorran, who seemed to enjoy it immensely.

"Mmph, good," Lina growled around a mouthful, nodding her approval.

"Thank you," he said, fondling Gorran's little hand.

"How come Gorran doesn't eat our food?" Lecia asked, staring at the baby. Gorran's head swiveled around at the sound of her voice and he raised a chubby arm, opening and closing his hand at her. Lecia smiled and reached over, taking the baby's hand and squeezing it.

"He doesn't have teeth yet," Xellos explained.

Lecia wrinkled her nose. "Weird," she mumbled. "Not even yet? But he's getting big!"

"Not even yet," Xellos said gently. "He will someday, though, and you'll have to be a good example of table manners for him."  
"Not like Mommy," Lecia snickered, and Xellos reached out, stroking her head. She closed her eyes and smiled beneath his touch.

"That's right. Gorran's going to follow your behavior when he gets old enough, because you're his big sister."

"But Lecia doesn't follow me," Val said, scowling.

"You're not my big brother," Lecia said sagely, putting another spoonful of corn in her mouth.

"I know, but I'm older."

"You're only nine."

"You're only five!"

"Children," Filia said, speaking for the first time.

"Sorry, Mom," Val growled.

"She speaks!" Xellos murmured, smiling.

Filia turned pink and clamped her mouth shut, eyes shooting daggers. "I have nothing to say to you."

"Aahh," Gorran said, shifting slightly in Xellos' lap.

"I know, she's a nasty one," Xellos murmured to his son, gently tousling his son's hair.

"Xellos," Lina warned, her face stuffed full of food.

"I'm sorry, Filia," Xellos said, inclining his head. "Sometimes I forget how sensitive you are."

Filia snorted and looked away, munching savagely on her dinner roll.

"Oh, I have some news for you," Xellos continued, brightening even further. "We're moving out."

"What?" Val and Lecia said in unison.

"We're getting our own house, little one," Xellos explained, turning to her. "You won't have to share a room with Val anymore."

"But I like playing with Val!" Lecia whined.

"You can still play with him. I imagine he'll come over every day."

"What makes you think that?" Filia asked coldly, and Xellos could tell that she was both excited and sad to see them go.

"I thought I could teach the kids on the days that you didn't need me to help in the shop, and Xellos will always be able to babysit. You could bring Val over and drop him off before you open up," Lina explained, finally setting down her silverware and leaning back in her chair, hands over her belly.

Filia sighed, looking as if she was suddenly overwhelmed. "Well, Val still isn't really old enough to help out, and I can't just leave him at home," she muttered.

"I want to go over to their house, Mom!" Val said, clutching at the side of the table and very nearly knocking over his glass of water.

Filia rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine. Everyone do what they want to, since you'll do it anyway," she growled, and began to clear the table.

"Well, we need to find a place first," Lina said, wiping her mouth on her napkin. "Somewhere in town, but not too in the thick of things. I like my privacy."

"It will take some time to find something in a community this small, dearest. Why don't you let me look around and then pick a few things to show you?"

"Nah, I don't care. Getting the last house was such a hassle that I really don't want to do it again. You can deal with it and I'll go with your decision."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Filia asked from the sink.

"Despite appearances, Xellos has pretty good taste," Lina said, leaning back in her chair to look at Filia. "You should have seen our old house."

"I really miss that bed," Xellos sighed. "Very well, I'll find something suitable."

"It has to have at least three bedrooms and a study," Lina informed him. "And two bathrooms, if you can find something like that."

"And just how do you two plan to afford a house?" Filia asked suspiciously.

"You just had to ask," Lina growled, shaking her head and closing her eyes as Xellos took Gorran and dashed from the room. He returned a moment later and plopped his leather satchel down on the table.

"Yay, Daddy's bag!" Lecia cried, scooting her chair nearer.

"What?" Val asked, leaning across the table to try and get a better look.

Xellos positioned Gorran more securely in his lap. "We've gone through all the old money Lina made on her last raids before getting pregnant," he explained. "But that still leaves us with all the artifacts she picked up, not to mention what I had and have been able to put together in the meantime."

"Daddy's bag is magic," Lecia whispered to Val, who looked at the bag with wide eyes.

"Let's see," Xellos mumbled, fishing around inside. "Here we are," he said, pulling out a statue of a perching hawk.

"So? That's just a dirty old onyx statue," Filia snorted, throwing the dishtowel over her shoulder.

"That's what I want you to think," Xellos breathed, reaching out and scraping a little at the statue. Gold shone through, revealing the black layer to be nothing more than an odd kind of paint.

"Is that solid gold?" Val breathed.

"Not quite. The bird's body is sold gold, but the rest is carved out of gemstones. I think it should be enough to buy a house for us."

"Yay, Daddy!" Lecia cried, hugging one of his arms.

"What else is in there?" Val breathed.

Xellos shrugged. "Several centuries' worth of knickknacks. Quite a few magical talismans I can sell for pocket money. Almost all of Lina's books are in there, although I think I remembered to pull out most of Lecia's toys."

"Wow," Val said.

"Told ya," Lecia grinned.

Xellos laughed and put the statue back in his bag, handing Gorran over to Lina. "I'll go take a look around tomorrow. Do you kids want to come with me?"

"Yeah!" they cried in unison, both of them jumping from their chairs.

"Then you had best wash up right now, hadn't you?" he said with a smile, and led them from the room.

The children ran around his legs as he walked down the street and he pulled the cloth of Gorran's blanket up closer to the baby's chin. The child was snuggled well into the sling Xellos wore around his body, but the spring wind still carried a chill and he didn't want his son coming down with something. Before they had moved to Filia's, Xellos had gone to the cantankerous old apothecary woman in their former hometown and purchased a wide variety of herbs from her, and although he was well-stocked, he didn't want to have to use his herbs. He didn't want his children to be sick at all, ever.

They had been wandering around town for several hours, ferreting information out of people as to whether or not anyone had died or might be leaving town. People didn't move often, he realized, spending most of their lives in once place. Merchants and adventurers might travel, but they always returned home.

Actually, he was surprised at the number of homes that were empty. Most were thought to be haunted, since a plague had moved through the village a few years before Filia lived there and left quite a few houses vacant. The villagers seemed to believe that the people who died from the plague resided in their houses still. Xellos, of course, knew better. Ghosts were little more than wandering souls, and souls had astral signatures he could detect. There were no ghosts in this town. Still, he knew he could use that belief to his advantage in arranging a price, so he mentioned nothing. That there had been a plague at all concerned him, however. He didn't want the remnants of disease in his house. Sickness had taken hold of him only once throughout his existence, and it had been such a horrible experience that he never wanted to repeat it again. He certainly didn't want his family exposed to such a thing. After some asking around, though, he determined that the source of the plague was nothing more than an extremely potent form of the flu, and that if any germs survived the intervening years in the homes, a good disinfecting would get rid of all and any trace of the sickness.

"Daddy, look at that one!" Lecia cried, tugging on his hand and pointing at a structure.

"It looks creepy," Val muttered, trotting up to the low stone wall that enclosed the front yard.

Xellos looked around, noticing that they were roughly on the western edge of town, almost exactly opposite of the direction in which Filia's house lay. There were neighbors, but they weren't shoved up right against the property. Still, the house was almost completely hidden with vines, and he knew it had been vacant since long before the plague. The remnants of a wrought-iron gate hung from notches in the low stone wall, which was covered with moss. The front yard was spacious and had several lovely trees in it, one of which appeared to be an apple tree. Flowering bushes grew wildly beneath the front windows, and the door was set back a bit, almost obscured by vines. The house was two stories tall and had several chimneys sticking up from the roof, which was also covered with moss. Something about the house plucked at his senses, and he realized that nothing larger than a bumblebee would go near the house. "Interesting," he murmured to himself, earning strange looks from the children. 

He heard a door shut and looked down the road, seeing one of the neighbors leave their house and begin to walk towards him. It was middle-aged fellow, with thin brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and spectacles perching at the end of his nose. "Good morning," the man called as he drew nearer.

"Hi!" Lecia cried, waving.

"Good day," Xellos said, watching Val move protectively toward Lecia, his yellow eyes narrowed slightly.

"I couldn't help but notice you folks looking at this house," the man said. "Interesting."

"Oh?"

"Most people don't see it sitting there," he explained.

"Well, my daughter spotted it right away."

"She must be a very special girl."

"She is, and talented as well."

"You're a lucky man," the fellow said. "I'm Hallon, but you can call me Hal."

"Xellos," he replied. "This is my daughter Lecia and her friend Val."

"Oh, you're the Mace-and-Vase lady's son, aren't you?" Hal said.

"Yes, sir," the boy replied.

"And this is my son, Gorran," Xellos said, gently peeling aside the blankets where the baby blinked up at the new face.

"He's precious. Good head of hair."

Xellos smiled with pride. "Absolutely."

"Hope he keeps it," Hal laughed, brushing his hand over his own thinning hair.

Xellos nodded, never taking his eyes off the man's face. He seemed nice enough, but something about him was making Xellos' senses tingle as well. What was it? "Is there something we can do for you, Mister Hal?" he asked politely.

"Like I said, I noticed you all spotted this house."

"And you also said that most people didn't see it. Why's that?"

"It has some sort of spell on it. Has had for years, ever since I was a boy."

Xellos narrowed his eyes slightly. "But you don't speak as if you were from around here."

"That's because I was educated in Frizben, about eighty miles northeast of here, at the academy there."

"Ah," Xellos replied. The academy was fairly old, having been around for about a hundred and fifty years. Their specialty was literature, if he wasn't mistaken. "I thought people in this area didn't practice magic."

Hal shrugged. "You're right, they don't. That doesn't mean that magical objects don't exist in this part of the world."

"True enough," Xellos murmured, keeping a watchful eye on the children as they tried to walk through the gate of the house. Lecia would head straight for it, then suddenly turn and walk a few steps in the opposite direction. She'd stop, scowl, and turn around, but the same thing happened again. Val tried also, and the same thing kept happening to him. "So what was it they owned?"

"I don't know. The family disappeared before my parents were born," Hal explained, putting his hands on his hips. The collar of his shirt opened wider as he did so, and Xellos noticed an amulet tied loosely around the man's neck, nestled among his chest hair. So that was what was making Xellos' senses tingle.

"What's you're amulet do?" Xellos asked, trying to carefully discern what sort of spell was cast on it.

"Oh, I did some traveling a couple of years ago to the area inside where the Monster's barrier used to be," Hal said. "I picked it up over there. It's supposed to ward of enchantments, so no one can ensorcel me when I'm not paying attention. I figured it was a good thing to have in the land of wizards."

Xellos tried a weak sleep spell, and sure enough it was repelled. Judging by the kickback he felt, though, the amulet wouldn't stand up to his stronger spells, not by any means. "Prudent," he murmured. "And did it save you?"

Hal laughed. "I like to think so, but since I don't have the faintest idea about magic, I really have no way of knowing."

"Indeed," he breathed.

"So, if you don't mind my asking, what do you do for a living? Are you a priest? Your clothes mark you as a monk of some sort."

"And you were wondering how a monk manages to get two children, I suppose," Xellos said with a soft smile.

"Something like that, yes," Hal admitted.

"I'm not a priest or a monk. I'm something of a scholar, I suppose. My family has been staying with a friend for a few months, and we decided it was time to get a place of our own. So I took the children out today to find a somewhere to live."

"Well, you won't be getting in there," Hal chuckled. "I've been trying all my life, but I can't get past the fence. Same thing happens to me that happens to your kids."

"Lecia, Val, please come away from there and stand by Mister Hallon."

"Please, call me Hal."

Lecia and Val came running, standing where Xellos put them. Xellos gestured to Val and the boy came over. Carefully Xellos removed the Gorran and the sling and replaced them both around Val's slim body. "I know he's heavy, but you have to support him. Make sure he doesn't flop around, okay?"

"Okay," Val said, eyes serious beneath his aqua brows.

"If anything strange happens I want you to turn into a dragon right away and fly home with Gorran and Lecia, do you understand? Don't worry about me, just get them home safely."

"I understand," Val breathed.

"Lecia."

"Yes, Daddy?"

"I want you to cast that barrier spell Grandma taught you. Can you cast it around everybody?"

"Yes," she said. "But why?"

"I'm going to break the spell on that house, and I'm not sure what will happen once I do. It's up to you to keep everybody safe."

"Okay."

"Thank you, little one," he murmured, kissing her on the crown of her head.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Hal asked nervously, pushing the spectacles further up his thin nose.

"Watch," Xellos said firmly, gripping his staff and striding up to the gate. He edged closer and closer until he felt the spell try to turn him around, then stopped. Casting a binding spell on his own feet, he bound them to the earth and slowly stuck out his finger. His finger wasn't turned away or affected, but the moment he tried to move his entire hand through, his arm ricocheted off of a barrier. It was odd that there would be size parameters on the spells, but the yard did look as if it were beautifully kept at one time. Perhaps whoever it was had wanted the bees to still pollinate their plants but let nothing larger in. Certain that his feet were firmly planted, Xellos cast a large disenchantment spell on the end of his staff and shoved it toward the barrier. It was like trying to force a rock into a balloon, and it took all his strength to keep his staff from flying back into his face. He released the spell, but nothing happened. Hmmm, this magic was more ancient than he had first supposed. The way it was woven suggested a technique that hadn't been used since before the War of the Monster's fall. Fascinating.

He thought for a moment about going to fetch Lina, but decided against this. As curious as she would be, she would also probably just try to blast it away with a Dragon Slave, and there would go their welcome in town. No, better that he just take care of this alone. That decision being made, he fell back on some of his oldest spell-casting techniques. He broke the spell of binding on his feet and walked the perimeter, noticing that as he neared the back of the house it disappeared from view. Not that it actually went anywhere, but it just sort of faded and disappeared. He couldn't see the back yard at all, only tall hedges. Even parts of the hedges seemed oddly transparent, and he could see the houses in the distance right through them. "Daddy, I'm getting tired," he heard Lecia call, and he was immediately snapped out of his pondering. Of course, he had to do this quickly.

Walking back to the front of the house, he examined it. It seemed to only be the barrier spell that was preventing entrance to the yard, although he suspected the house had a different spell on it entirely that prevented it from being noticed. Well, first things first. He thought for a moment more, then decided that a rune of shattering might do the trick. Runic magic hadn't been used for ages. In fact, most people didn't even believe it existed. Well, they would find out differently soon enough. Sighing, he reached up with his finger and felt for the bubble-like surface of the barrier. When he became fully aware of it he began to chant beneath his breath, slowly drawing a complicated rune with his finger. He added the final stroke to the rune and took a step back as the spell shattered, nearly bowling him over with the wind that was created. Lecia yelled and he whipped his head around, but he saw that she and the others were unharmed. Her barrier had held. "You can stop casting now, little one," he called out to her, walking over.

"What was that?" Val breathed.

"Ancient magic," Xellos replied simply.

"It wasn't like your and Mommy's magic," Lecia said curiously.

Hal's face was pale and he clutched at the amulet around his throat. "You're a sorcerer?" he stammered.

"He's the strongest sorcerer in the world," Lecia said proudly. "And my mommy's the strongest sorceress. I'm going to be just like them."

"My daughter's a sorceress too, or didn't you notice her barrier spell?" Xellos said with a quiet smile.

"I'm only five, so I'll get better," Lecia added.

"Extraordinary," Hal breathed, adjusting his glasses. "I had always read about such things in the academy. That's why I moved back here. I've been trying to break that spell for decades."

"You wouldn't have been able to," Xellos replied. "The knowledge of that brand of magic has been lost to humans for over a thousand years."

"Then how do you know it?" Hal asked eagerly, brown eyes dancing.

Xellos blushed. Well, it certainly wouldn't do to let this fellow know he had once been the most powerful Monster on the planet under the Lords, and that he only knew because he was thousands of years old. "Truth be told," he said smoothly, barely even hesitating for a heartbeat, "I used to be a priest. We had ancient manuscripts, but then my order was destroyed. I was the only one who escaped, and the documents were lost. I was planning on leaving the order anyway, since I had already met the mother of my children by then and wanted to be with her."

Hal nodded furiously. "What a tragic and noble story!" he sighed. "And how lucky you are! My scholarship has only led me down the road of loneliness. I've wanted to study magic my whole life, but while some of the literature I studied in school spoke about it, they never said how to go about doing it."

"There's a reason for that," Xellos mumbled. "At any rate, I want to purchase this house. Who owns the land?"

Hal shrugged. "The city, I think. You'd have to go down to the courthouse and find out."

Xellos nodded, walking over to the stone wall once more. He took a deep breath and stepped inside, waiting for something to happen. Nothing did, and he knew he had broken the barrier successfully. There were still several spells on the house, though, and those would take some time to break. Carefully he bent and examined the inside of the stone wall, eyes searching. Then he found them; one section of the stone wall was covered with runes. Runic magic was simple because the user didn't need to channel magic, as they did with modern magic. It wasn't quite as powerful as Lina's brand of sorcery, for example, but it was also impervious to it. Runic magic only required a human draw the runes and the spell was done. It was very dangerous because of its seeming simplicity. Many people and Monsters had died by incorrectly drawing a single stroke of a rune. The runes on the wall constructed the barrier, just had he had assumed, and there were the size parameters for the spell. Excellent.

Quickly he reached out and scratched out the runes, rendering them unreadable. It wouldn't do to let normal mortals in on the secret of runic magic. The danger was too great, especially for his children. When he was satisfied they would no longer notice that something had been written there, he stood and left the yard. "Well, I think we've done all we can here, children," he announced with a smile. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Master Hal."

"You too, Mister Xellos. If you manage to buy this land, I imagine we'll be seeing a lot of each other. I have many, many questions to ask you, if you wouldn't mind."

"Not at all," Xellos lied, and shook the man's hand. As they clasped hands Xellos quickly sent a subtle spell into the man's body. In thirty minutes, when Hal was comfortably inside his own home, the spell would trigger. The time portion of the spell would revert Hal's' memory back to before he met Xellos and the children, and he would have no recollection of the day at all. The rest of the spell would halt Hal's interest in the house, magic, and the neighbors, so that Xellos and his family could live unmolested when they moved in. And they would move in. Xellos wanted the house and was prepared to do anything to get it. Hopefully Hal wouldn't notice for quite some time that his amulet protecting against enchantment had cracked. It wasn't Xellos' fault that his spells were stronger than some hedge-wizard's enchanted stone.

"Come along, little ones," he said, and they walked back into town.

Xellos had a hell of a time purchasing the land, but with a few suggestions, spells, and veiled threats he got exactly what he wanted. He whistled as he walked into Filia's shop, seeing the same old woman talking to Lina at the counter as the day their horrible separation had begun. "Hello, dearest," he said to Lina brightly.

"Hey, Xellos," she said with a smile, and the warmth in her eyes set his heart to soaring.

"How was your day?" he asked, gracefully stepping around the old woman and leaning across the counter to kiss her on the cheek.

Lina blushed deeply and averted her eyes, an oddly girlish gesture for Lina. "Fine," she mumbled, embarrassed. "How was yours?"

"Interesting," he replied. "Hello, Miss Filia," he said loudly.

Filia shot him a look full of daggers. Was she still upset about the kitchen incident? "Hello, Xellos," she growled. "Meet Misses Dort."

"A pleasure," Xellos greeted the withered old woman. He unwrapped Gorran from around his body and handed him over to Lina, who took him and kissed the top of his red little head.

"I see the father of that baby finally caught up with you," the old woman chuckled.

"Finally," Lina said with a tight smile.

"I told you a woman needs a man."

Xellos saw Lina's eyes ignite and he smoothly placed his hand over hers. "Actually, Misses Dort, Lina is perfectly self-sufficient," he explained. "I consider myself lucky that she tolerates my presence and lets me assist her, otherwise I would feel completely useless."

Lina began to gloat. "Here's your crystal," she said, pushing a wrapped package across the counter. "Please come again."

The old woman nodded her gray head and shuffled past Xellos, muttering under her breath. Xellos waited until she was out of the shop, then turned to Lina and winked. "Miss Filia," he called out, leaning casually against the counter. "I do hope I haven't made you lose a customer."

Filia mumbled something he couldn't make out and turned her back on him. "So?" Lina asked. "How was your day?"

Xellos contemplated telling Lina about the rune magic, then decided against it. He wasn't sure she didn't know about it already, since she had lived with Gourry for a while after he was in possession of Scundabran. The sword had many, many runes etched on his ancient blade. One of the runes, of course, was protection against the shattering rune that broke almost every runic spell. That was the only reason he hadn't been able to destroy the damn thing when he fought the elven priest so many eons ago. "It was fun, Mommy!" Lecia answered for him. "We saw a house!"

"Actually, we own the house," Xellos corrected her. "It seems it went more smoothly than planned."

"Wow," Lina said, cradling Gorran gently. "That was really quick."

"Yes," he agreed.

"It's a neat house," Lecia cheered.

"I dunno," Val said sullenly. "I think it's creepy."

Xellos ignored the boy and ran his thumb over Lina's knuckles, gazing at the smooth skin on the back of her hand. "I was hoping you could come with me to see it," he said.

"Does it have three bedrooms and a study?" Lina asked.

Xellos blushed and gave her his trademark smile. "That's a secret!" he said brightly.

Lina's face fell and her mouth dropped open. "You didn't look, did you," she said.

He giggled and put his hand behind his head, eyes still closed. "I'm afraid not. I got wrapped up in other things."

"Like what?" she growled, voice pitched low.

"You'll see when we get there, and I think you'll understand. Besides, if it doesn't have enough rooms we can have it modified."

Lina sighed and rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine. Hey, Filia, do you think you could watch the kids tonight?"

Filia shot Lina a look that was only slightly warmer than the one she had given Xellos. "All three of them?"

"If you wouldn't mind," Xellos said sweetly.

Filia's mouth flattened into a line and Lina took a deep breath. "Listen, Filia, we're both really sorry about you finding us in the kitchen like that. Trust me, it was as awful for me as it was for you. Will you forgive us?"

"I'm not actually sorry," Xellos whispered.

"Shut up," Lina growled. "Well, Filia?"

Filia shook her head, her shoulders slumping. "Fine, I forgive you. Just don't let it happen again."

"We won't," Xellos agreed brightly. "We'll have our own kitchen to play in soon enough."

"Xellos!" Lina snapped. "Anyway, Filia, will you watch them?"

"I suppose," the dragon woman sighed. "Just help me until closing time, okay?"

"Okay," Lina said, and Xellos took the children in the back room to play.

They watched Filia walk off with the children, then headed across town. Xellos was whistling to himself, setting the rhythm to match the sound of his staff tapping against the cobblestones. He was completely lost in thought, concentrating on rune magic, when he felt Lina slip her hand into his. Looking down at her in surprise, he saw her smiling up at him. "I hope you picked us a nice place. I can't believe you didn't look inside before you bought it."

"I couldn't," he replied, squeezing her hand and basking in the feeling of her warm palm against his. "There's a spell on it."

Lina stopped in the middle of the road, nearly yanking him off his feet. "What?" she asked, eyes wide and crackling. "You bought us an enchanted house?"

"Well... Yes. I did."

"Xellos!" she moaned.

"I don't think it's dangerous," he protested.

"You don't THINK?"

"Certainly. At any rate, I think it's worth seeing."

"You're crazy, do you know that?" she snapped.

"Of course," he said with a smile, bringing her knuckles up to his mouth and kissing them. He looked at her and noticed her face soften a bit.

She sighed and began walking again, letting him lead the way. "Wait a minute," she said suddenly, scowling up at him. "How can the house be enchanted? Magic hasn't been practiced in this part of the world for over a thousand years, since the Monster's barrier was put up!"

"That's what I thought was so interesting," he said, smiling. "I knew you'd think so, too."

"Cripes," she muttered, and before long they were there. "Well?" she asked.

"It's right there," he said, pointing until she spotted it. Odd, but Lina hadn't really been able to see it.

"Oh, under the vines. Weird. I didn't see it just sitting there."

"Neither did I, at first. Lecia spotted it."

"Well, that girl is pretty peculiar," Lina muttered. She let go of his hand and marched into the yard, squinting at the house. Reaching up, she tried to put her hand on the wall and gasped as her fingers passed right through it. "You weren't kidding," she murmured."

"There was a barrier on it that I dispelled. You couldn't even walk in the yard, earlier."

Lina nodded and walked around the house, much as he had earlier. "You can't even see the back," she mumbled. "Cute little place, though."

"I'm glad you like it," he replied, standing with staff in hand and watching her.

"Flow Break," she chanted, closing her eyes. Nothing happened. Xellos quickly hid a smile. Lina scowled at the thing and spent twenty minutes going through spells, none of them having any effect. "What gives?" she screamed, trying to kick the house and nearly toppling over as her foot passed right through it.

"Your magic won't work on these spells, dearest," he said softly, seeing that he was going to have to explain runic magic to her. There was a chance, he supposed, that she wouldn't pressure him to teach it to her. It was a very, very slim chance.

"Why the hell not?"

"It's runic magic," he explained. "It doesn't work by the human body spinning spells and channeling magic from another source. The power comes from the runes themselves."

"Runic magic? How come I've never heard of it?" she snapped.

"Because that knowledge was lost to humans shortly after the War of the Monster's Fall," he murmured.

"But this house isn't that old. What's it doing protected by runic magic?"

"I have no idea. Do you understand now why I bought it?"

"Yeah. As much as I'd like to pound your head in, I really can't blame you."

He smiled. "Thank you."

She turned to him, dark cloak snapping in the evening breeze, and regarded him coolly. "How come you never told me about runic magic before?" she growled, eyes narrowed.

Pasting his customary smile on his face, he shrugged. "You never asked."

"I didn't even know about it to ask!" she protested angrily.

"You lived with Gourry for a few months after you gave birth to Lecia. Didn't you ever see the strange sword he carried?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Scundabran's hilt and blade are etched with ancient runes. Didn't you notice them?"

"I just thought they were some bizarre design. It was a weird sword, and an elven one."

"Well, they weren't random designs, they were powerful runes. So powerful, in fact, that they prevented me from destroying that sword when it was created."

Lina raised an eyebrow. "Is there any ancient mess you're not mixed up in?" she asked archly.

He chuckled and shook his head. "I'm sure there are some," he replied.

"Well, we can talk about that later," she grumbled. "How do we get in the house?"

Xellos smiled and rocked back on his heels. "I have no idea."

Lina rounded on him, eyes blazing. "WHAT?" she roared. "You bring me here to show me a house you bought that you haven't been inside of and you have no idea how to break the enchantments?"

He put a finger to his cheek, considering. "Why, yes, I think that's exactly what happened."

"Xellos!" she cried, smacking him on the arm. "What are we going to do now?"

"I can break the runes if we can figure out what's going on. This house confuses me, though. It might be because my astral form is so large that it's running interference. That's why I brought you here. Besides, you're the sorcery genius."

She shot him a furious look, but then her determination and love of a challenge took over. "Well, you're right about that, at least," she grumbled.

"So, dearest Lina, what precisely is wrong with that house?"

Lina paced back in forth in front of the house again, chin cupped in her hand. "Well, it's partially invisible, for one. It's not in physical form, either. There seems to be another minor barrier spell on the back, and I'd imagine there's protective spells as well. This wasn't made to be a fortress, though, it was made to be hidden. There's probably an 'ignore' spell on it, too, since so many people don't even notice it's here."

"Is there anything else unusual about the house?" he asked. He was getting a better idea of what runes were used, but still wasn't entirely certain.

Lina sighed and planted her hands on her hips, leaning back so she could look straight up at the house. "There are lots of vines, but the ones around the door are different, almost like shadows..."

"That's it!" he declared, rushing forward and catching her around the waist. He whirled her up into the air, spinning around, and kissed her on the mouth as he set her down again.

She pushed him away, breathless, and blinked up at him. "What was that for?"

"I knew you'd figure it out," he chortled, kissing her on the forehead. "You're just brilliant."

"Of course," she mumbled, frowning at him.

He released her and spun towards the house, quickly chanting and writing runes in the air. The spell on the house was a complicated one, but the false shadow-vines around the door was the keystone of the spell. Just writing a shattering rune wouldn't do the trick, but if he could write the runes that opposed the ones casting the spell everything should be just fine. Sweat beaded along his brow as he concentrated, being sure every single stroke of the runes was perfect. He wouldn't want to make a mistake and be sucked into oblivion. Luckily for him that although the runes were powerful, the spell itself was childishly constructed, and he had no real difficulty as he broke the spell. There was an odd snapping noise and a blast of air, and then the house sat before them, paint peeling. "There!" he announced, indicating the house with a flourish.

"Yikes," she said. "That was too complicated for my tastes."

He chuckled and took her hand, leading her up to the door. "Would you care to do the honors?" he asked.

Lina nodded and hacked away at the vines with her dagger, clearing the door of vegetation. She put her hands on the door and pushed, scowling when nothing happened. Not even pulling or turning the knob did any good at all, and Xellos jumped out of her way as she screamed her fury and kicked the door in. "Gotcha," she snarled at the door, striding inside.

"Please wait," Xellos said in alarm, following her in. He didn't want her to inadvertently walk into any more spells.

He nearly bumped into Lina as he stepped into the house. The interior was very dark, since almost all the windows were covered with vines. Night was falling outside, and that didn't help matters. Lina cast a quick light spell, and they were immediately surrounded by tattered furniture. "Apparently the weather still had its way with this place," she grumbled, patting some of the furniture and wrinkling her nose as the mildewed upholstery came apart beneath her touch.

"Careful, the floor might be rotten," he cautioned, looking around. There used to be paintings and the like on the walls, but the majority of them had been ruined by dampness and fallen. Whoever had put the mist rune into the spell obviously hadn't counted on the moisture it would bring into the air.

"The fireplace is nice," Lina murmured, running her hands across the stone. He came and stood next to her, finding she was right. It was well-sized, with hooks for teapots, and the large mantle above it provided more than enough room to place things. The brickwork was skillful and the tile set before it was expertly laid.

"Very nice," he breathed, noticing the house was a good size. It seemed larger than Filia's by about another third but not nearly as humongous as their manor house on the harbor had been.

"There's even a formal dining room," Lina said. "There's lots of silver in here."

"If you like it, we'll keep it," Xellos called. "If not, we can sell it."

Lina's footsteps drew nearer and she took his arm. "Too bad all the paintings are ruined. They were probably valuable," she muttered.

"Hard to say," he replied, patting her hand and leading her out of the dining room. The next door took them into the kitchen, which was very spacious. There was a large stove to one side and another fireplace, and the sink was porcelain and had two basins. An island near the stove provided more counter space, and there was a rack hanging from the ceiling right above it that still had a pot or two dangling from it. There was space near the window for a table for four, and Xellos thought the kitchen was just perfect. The pantry was large as well, and he began to get excited. Here was a kitchen that might actually hold enough food to feed a family of Inverses.

They backtracked to the living room and examined the stairs, then went down a hallway on the opposite side of the room. At the end there was a small room with large windows and another fireplace, with a small water closet. "My study," Lina announced, walking inside.

"Wait,"Xellos breathed. There was another spell in this room. Something was not what it seemed. "You might want to cast a barrier spell," he warned her, and she nodded once. He quickly traced the shattering rune and suddenly the walls seemed to fly inward. Lina shouted in alarm but had already cast her spell as the wind blasted past her, breaking all the windows in the room.

"Xellos!" she bellowed as the dust and debris settled. Her shoulders hunched and she began to march over to him when he pointed behind her and grinned.

"Look," he murmured.

Lina turned and gasped as she saw what he had seen: dozens of ancient volumes, stacked in recessed shelves in the wall. "Wow," she breathed, immediately running over. "These are in great condition!"

"That's what the spell was protecting," he said. "I don't know what would have happened if you had walked into it. They also had an air rune, I think, to preserve the books better."

It was true, the books didn't have a trace of mildew on them as Lina carefully turned the pages. "These are really old," she murmured. "I can't read some of them."

Xellos gently took the book from her and gazed at it. "No wonder," he murmured. "You were about fifteen hundred years in the future when this one was written." Opening the cover, he observed runes inked on the inside, runes that combined cast a powerful preservation spell. In fact, if the spines of the books were any indication, there was a great deal of information on runic magic here. No wonder the previous owner had been able to cast runic spells. The languages in the books, however, seemed to be from all over. This was a collection someone must have spent a lifetime putting together. Of course, runic magic wasn't the only topics the books covered.

"This is wonderful!" Lina exclaimed. "I can't wait to read these!"

"In time," Xellos chuckled, wondering how he could destroy the books on runes without Lina noticing. For some reason he felt that runic magic would be very, very dangerous in her hands, and he definitely wasn't willing to risk his children. He didn't care if the books themselves had runes of indestructibility. Everything could be destroyed or undone, if one took enough time and care. "Why don't we check out the upper story?"

Lina nodded vigorously and dashed from the room, her boots making damp thuds on the rotting floorboards of the house. Xellos followed carefully, ready to cast a levitation spell on her if she fell. "Three bedrooms!" she called. "There's a bathroom, too, with a big tub!"

"Three bedrooms, two baths, and a study," Xellos murmured, pleased with himself. He floated up the stairs, not willing to try his luck as Lina had, and landed lightly in the hallway. One of the bedrooms was at the end, taking up almost the entire wall, with the bathroom just to the side. The other two bedrooms were lined up next to one another, and all were of good size.

"Xellos!" he heard Lina call, and he saw the shimmering of her sunset hair in the dim light of the room at the end of the hall.

"Yes?" he asked, peering through the doorway at the master bedroom. Pieces of furniture were strewn everywhere and the wallpaper hung wetly from the walls. Something about the wall behind the warped chest of drawers made his skin prickle, almost as if he could never look directly at it. He realized, though, that it couldn't be too dangerous, for if he couldn't really notice what was there, Lina wouldn't either. "What is it?" he said, still looking around the room, when he realized Lina was outside.

"A balcony!" she cried, leaning out over the backyard. She spread her arms and took a deep breath, the wind blowing her hair around her like an aura.

"Beautiful," he breathed as she turned to look at him with sparkling eyes.

"Come here!" she said, beaming at him. He smiled in return, unable to help himself, and picked his way through the broken furniture to stand next to her. The balcony was fairly broad, taking up two thirds of the wall, and there was enough room for a chair or two and a small end table. "This will be the perfect place to read in the summer!" she grinned, grabbing his hand and pulling him to her. Her arms wrapped around his waist and she rested her head against his chest, watching the setting sun as she leaned against him.

He smiled in contentment and put his arms around her as well, placing his chin on the top of her head. "It will be perfect," he murmured.

"You did well," she said with a laugh, the sound like silvery bells to his ears.

"Thank you, dearest," he whispered, leaning down and kissing her as the rosy-gold light of evening enveloped them.

She took his hand and pressed the palm against her cheek, smiling as she closed her eyes. "This is wonderful. It'll be nice to have a place of our own again."

"I agree," he said. "Can we see most of the yard from here?"

Lina nodded and looked out over the lush grass. "It's a pretty good size."

"Good enough for two children to run in," he commented. There were numerous flower beds, room for a small vegetable garden, and the tall hedges around the perimeter effectively kept the privacy of the yard. There was a flagstone patio, it looked like, right underneath the balcony, where one could sit and enjoy a drink in the evening. In one corner of the yard, before the hedges gave way to woods, was a small, rocky pond. "Look," he murmured, pointing at the pond.

"Instant hot spring!" Lina chortled, hugging him again. "It'll be just like old times."

He squeezed her back, loving, as always, the feeling of her slender body against his. "I promised you we'd be happy again someday, didn't I?"

"Yes," she giggled.

"Are you pleased, then?" he asked.

"Yes," she repeated, and kissed him.

"I was thinking," Lina said slowly as they walked home.

"About?"

"That house needs a lot of work done on it."

"Yes, I agree. I was going to come into town tomorrow and make arrangements. The roof needs to be fixed, the gutters and rain spouts refitted, the chimney for each room cleaned and cleared, the plumbing tested and possibly replaced, the floors replaced, the walls refinished and papered or painted, the outside needs to be painted, and we need to replace a number of windows. Then the whole thing should be cleaned," he said, ticking off things on his fingers, tucking the staff under his arm.

"What are we going to do in the meantime? I really think we've worn out our welcome at Filia's."

Xellos sighed and rubbed a temple. "I fear you're right about that. It's probably my fault."

"You do annoy her terribly. I think it's even worse now that we're together again. She sort of has a thing for you."

Xellos smiled at her and winked, changing his long, easy stride into a swagger and feeling gratified when Lina laughed. "And can you really blame her?" he asked.

"A person would have to be nuts to like you," Lina chuckled.

Xellos bowed. "Of course. I'm very fortunate that Lina Inverse, the beautiful sorcery genius, is also a complete lunatic."

"Lunatic, eh?"

"Absolutely," Xellos replied with a nod. "That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. There are several brands of lunacy."

"Ah," Lina said, still smiling. "But seriously, things have been a little tense there. I can't really blame her. We did sort of show up unannounced, invited ourselves in, and the proceeded to do whatever we wanted to without really thinking of her feelings."

"True, true," he sighed. "Well, I was going to start Gorran on rice cereal soon, then applesauce. He's getting old enough. What did you have in mind, then?"

Lina's face took on an odd expression. "You're going to think this is really weird," she mumbled, looking at the ground and blushing.

"Oh?"

She looked up at him and bunched her mouth up for a bit, then took a deep breath. "Do you think Gorran is old enough for a trip?"

"Probably. We'll all be together, so if you can stand his crying and not sleeping, I certainly can," he replied.

"Then I'd like to visit my parents," she blurted.

Xellos blinked at her. Parents? Well, of course Lina had parents. She was human, after all. "In Zefeeria, right?"

"Yeah," Lina muttered, blushing. "They run a grocery store."

Xellos nodded. "I remembered that they were merchants. But, dearest, doesn't your sister live there as well?"

Lina paled. "Yeah, Luna's there, too."

Xellos considered. Lina probably hadn't seen her parents for a good ten or twelve years. She had left home so young and done so much with her life. He knew that if Lecia or Gorran left home, he would certainly want to see them more than once every ten years. "Of course we can go visit them," he said gently. "I would sort of like to visit them, actually. Their blood flows through our children's veins, too, after all."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Absolutely. Do you think they'll approve of me?"

Lina threw back her head and laughed. "Probably not," she admitted. "But they wouldn't have approved of anyone I wanted to be with. It's just worse now, since I always swore I'd marry a rich, handsome prince, and instead I never got married and had children with a rich, handsome Monster."

"I think the prince sounds worse," Xellos admitted. "Lina, dearest, I can never picture you sitting through long, boring political sessions. At least not without blasting someone, and that tends to put political relationships in jeopardy."

Lina chuckled again. "You're right, Xelly, and you know what's most annoying about you? You almost always are right."

"I've been around for a while," he said with a smile. "Practice makes perfect."

"We're almost home," she murmured, and indeed the warm lights in Filia's windows were just up ahead.

"I'll make the necessary arrangements and we can leave within the week."

"Perfect," Lina purred, taking his arm, and held herself close to him the entire way home.

"You'll come back though, right?" Val asked Lecia as he stood under the tree, watching Xellos tie baby Gorran to his chest.

"Sure, silly," Lecia said with a grin. "We're just gonna go visit my Grandma and Grandpa. We might see Mommy's friends, too, but then we'll come back and live in our house."

"Promise?"

"Promise," Lecia smiled, and quickly gave Val a big hug. The boy blushed but hugged her back, closing his golden eyes.

"If you do stop and see Amelia and Zel, please give them my best," Filia was telling Lina. "Perhaps when Val's old enough to fly longer distances we'll go visit them."

"Sure thing," Lina said, anxious to be on the road. She watched as Xellos bent to hug Val, then hugged Lecia too upon her demand. "You take care of yourself, and don't forget to check on our house."

"Of course," Filia said, tears in her blue eyes. Suddenly she grabbed hold of Lina and squeezed her so tightly that Lina thought her head would pop off. Slowly, though, she hugged her back.

"Thanks for everything," Lina murmured, gently releasing Filia. "We'll be back in a few months."

Filia nodded, tears streaming down her face. Val trotted over and put his arms around her waist, leaning his head against her stomach. "Bye," he said softly.

"Bye, Val. Behave for your mom."

"Okay," he murmured.

"Are you ready?" Xellos asked her, holding his staff in one hand and Lecia's small hand in the other.

"Guess so," she said, blinking into the morning light. The chill in the air was getting fainter and fainter, and all the traces of winter were almost completely gone. "Let's do this thing, okay?"

"Okay," he said with a gentle smile, and suddenly she felt reassured. He let her take the lead as they walked north and west, hoping to catch a boat that would take them up the coast past the vast desert. She ran over their route in her head, trying to think of anything that would go wrong, and only gave herself a headache. In truth she was incredibly, incredibly nervous to see her parents. She hadn't exactly left on good terms with them, after all, and even when she was on good terms with them, their relationship had been strained at best. It was also daunting to think of having to see Luna. Luna had been a good sister, she supposed, but she had always been overbearing and scary. It was because of Luna's bullying and urging that Lina had finally left home to study magic. In fact, it had been Luna who had marched her up to the magic academy and dropped her off at age ten. Of course, Lina's talent had been so great that she had only had to study for about four years instead of the usual eight, and then she set off on her own. Meeting Naga had been unfortunate but fun, and then she had run into Gourry and the rest was history. She knew Luna had been keeping track of her, but she wondered if her parents had heard her fame. She wondered if they finally approved of her.

To tell the truth, she wasn't sure she even wanted to visit them. She didn't want to hear her father list all the things she had done wrong with her life, and while she knew Xellos could charm the pants off of most anyone, she wasn't confident he would go over well with her parents. Especially her father. Lina had never been able to do anything right for her father. It was Luna that was perfect, Luna whom she should emulate. Lina was too thin, too short, wasn't strong enough, wasn't smart enough, talked too loud, ate too much, was too lazy, and basically useless. She knew her father loved her somewhere in his heart, for if she could learn to love Lecia, the child she never wanted, he could learn to love her. It was time to find out whether or not he really did.

A wave of reassurance through the ring she wore on her right hand made her turn her head and smile at her companion. Xellos smiled back, but his face was a touch worried as well. "It's okay," she said.

"If you don't want to go we don't have to," he replied. "We can simply stop in Seyruun instead."

"Daddy, where's Seyruun?" Lecia asked, looking up at his father.

"Far to the north, little one," he replied, and then Gorran began to fuss. "Oh, hush, love," he told the boy, bouncing him slightly, and Gorran eventually quieted.

"What's in Seyruun?" Lecia pressed, blinking at her parents.

"My friends," Lina replied, a small smile crossing her face. It had been almost six years since she had seen Amelia and Zelgadis. She wondered how they were doing. Well, she'd find out soon enough.

"Is Seyruun fun?"

"Very fun," Xellos replied gently. "We'll soon be in a land where everyone knows about magic, and your mother is famous."

"Mommy's famous?"

"Very famous. Many people feared just the sound of her name."

"Lina Inverse, sorcery genius, bandit killer, devoted mother of two," Lina said sarcastically. She actually kind of liked the ring of it, though. No one could ever accuse her of being a boy again. After all, two babies had made their way out of her body. Besides, her breasts really had gotten bigger as a result of having children.

"There, many people can actually use magic," Xellos continued, and Lina could tell her "new title" amused him. "Some people use black magic, like your mommy, and some people use white magic, like Aunt Filia. Still other people use shamanistic magic."

"What's that?"

"It uses the power of the planet instead of the gods or Dark Lords," Xellos explained. "One of Mommy's friends that we're visiting is very accomplished in shamanistic magic, and his wife is a white magician."

"Are they nice?" Lecia pressed.

Xellos' mouth quirked in a smile and he shot a look at Lina. "Yes, they're nice," he said slowly. "Strange, but nice. They're also a prince and princess."

"Those are real?" Lecia gasped, and Lina laughed out loud, gesturing her daughter nearer. Lecia trotted over and took her hand.

Lina squeezed Lecia's hand gently and felt her heart warm as Lecia's dark eyes shone up at her with adoration. "Yes, princes and princesses are real," Lina said. "And Seyruun has the best soft-serve ice cream of anywhere in the world. It's your dad's favorite."

"You remembered," Xellos said with a grin. "I'm impressed."

"You're an important person, aren't you?" Lecia asked her mother.

Lina laughed and shrugged. "I was a decade ago. We'll find out shortly if I'm still famous or not."

Xellos echoed her laughter. "I doubt the world could forget you in ten measly years," he said.

"Ba ba ba ba!" Gorran said, choosing that moment to pipe up.

Lecia giggled. "Blobber lobber la la!" she shouted to the baby, and Gorran squealed.

Lina raised an eyebrow at Lecia and matched her pace to the child's. "What was that?"

"He likes it when you talk to him," Lecia explained. "Daddy does it all the time. Gorran doesn't care what you say, so long as you say it."

"Interesting," Lina said, looking over her shoulder at Xellos, who had actually taken the baby out of his sling and was holding him in an upright position, pointing things out to him and speaking softly.

Lecia looked at Xellos as well, then smiled up at her mother. "Daddy likes babies, doesn't he?"

"Very much," Lina said. "He still likes you, too."

"I know," Lecia said with a grin. "He always tells me, and he reads me lots of stories every night. I just want Gorran to hurry and get big so we can play."

"It'll happen soon enough," Lina said. "Look how big you got, and so quickly." It was quick, too. She couldn't believe she'd been with Xellos for nearly six years. That was already longer than she had traveled with Gourry. It seemed only yesterday that Lecia was a baby, crawling around in the sand on the beach of Wolfpack island.

Lina entertained Lecia for the week it took them to get to the coast, only trading off with Xellos when it was time to nurse Gorran. They had no problem booking passage on a ship, and soon were off. The sea voyage went much more quickly that their last one had, especially since Lina wasn't already nauseated from pregnancy. Still, it was difficult to be in the cramped cabin of the ship and not touch Xellos. One night she had broken down and put the moves on him. He, of course, had responded, and they made hurried, sweaty love in their narrow bunk, his hand clamped over her mouth to muffle her noises as they desperately tried not to wake the children or the people in the next cabin. She was being more careful these days, though, having learned her lesson twice, and the midwives and apothecaries she visited ensured that she would never accidentally find herself with child again. Xellos, of course, knew this, and while she understood that he would have loved to have another five children, he was more than happy with just two. Relieved of that pressure and feeling rather safe and cared for at his side, she found herself optimistic that their visit to her parents wouldn't be a complete and total disaster.

Once their ship landed they had to travel very incognito for fear Lina would be recognized. It took them quite some time, but eventually Lina began to recognize the vineyards of her homeland stretching off into the distance around them. "Do you think those books we found are safe?" she asked Xellos, trying to get her mind off of her parents as they drew closer.

"Absolutely," he replied. "I sealed them up again in a box in the backyard. I used runes, so not even Filia could break it open. I doubt anyone will even notice that the box is there."

"What if it rains?"

He winked at her, making her heart flutter. "Then my regular spells will take over, or, failing that, the oilcloth. Satisfied, my dear?"

"Sure," she said with a forced grin, training her eyes on the road ahead of her. They would reach her parents' house by sunset, if she remembered correctly. Fear and anxiety washed over her, the likes of which she hadn't felt in a long time, since she faced down Phibrizzo and Darkstar or battled the Greater Beast for Xellos' soul.

Xellos suddenly appeared by her side, dark eyes searching her face. She had put her ring back on its chain a few days before so that he wouldn't constantly be bombarded with her nervousness, but he obviously still knew. The amethyst depths in the shadows of his bangs flickered slightly, and he slowly smiled. "Don't be nervous," he murmured. "Even if they do not give you the welcome you deserve, I will be here by your side."

For some reason his kind words made her want to cry. "Thanks," she said thickly. "That means a lot to me, Xellos."

"You have my support in all things," he replied softly. "And you have Lecia's and Gorran's, too."

"I know," she whispered, reaching down and stroking Lecia's silky hair. Lecia smiled up at her and continued to walk along, holding her father's hand.

They walked along in silence for a while, a cluster of buildings appearing as they crested a hill. Lina tried to focus on the rhythmic tapping of Xellos' staff against the dirt of the road, but she just couldn't. It felt as if someone had set loose a flock of sparrows in her stomach, all clawing and flapping their wings as they tried to peck their way out of her.

"What's that?" Lecia asked, pointing at one of the vineyards. "There are lots of them here."

"We're in Zefeeria now," Lina replied. "This region is famous for its fine wines."

"What's wine?"

"It's a grownup drink made from grapes," Xellos explained. "This country is where Mommy grew up."

"It's pretty, Mommy," Lecia said gently, a tender expression on her face. Lina smiled weakly at her daughter. Her anxiety had to be bad if her five-year-old daughter could see it well enough to try to comfort her.

"Thanks, kiddo," Lina said roughly.

"I'd take your hand, but I seem to have run out of them," Xellos said to her, smiling.

"I'll be fine. I don't need your hand," she said, her tone sharper than she meant it to be.

Xellos nodded. "I know you don't need it, but it's there nonetheless if you want it. You don't have to do these things all by yourself, you know."

"We're with you, Mommy! Even Gorran, though he still can't talk."

"Thanks," Lina repeated, feeling sick. They had entered the city limits, and her feet automatically took over. Even though she had been gone for so long, her body still knew the way. Unless, of course, her parents had moved. She hadn't considered that possibility. Well, she wouldn't start now. Knowing her parents, they probably lived in the exact same place in the exact same fashion.

They walked for fifteen minutes, Lecia staring at the people and buildings, and then rounded a corner. Her parents lived at the end of the street, and Lina could already see the house, light already coming from one of the windows even though the sun was still setting. The streets seemed paved with gold as the sun's light filtered in between the buildings, the facades stained a faint pink color. Violet was already showing up in some of the shadows, signaling the coming of night, and Lina's heart leapt into her throat and seemed to stop beating. She stopped in the middle of the road, Xellos and Lecia almost running into her, and stared. Someone was outside, watering the flower boxes, an apron around her waist. Lina felt tears well up in her eyes as she watched the woman's graceful, tender movements, her long, brown hair pulled back in a braid. The woman stopped, apparently feeling she was being watched, and their eyes met. The watering can the woman held crashed to the ground as she covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide. "Harold!" she cried. "Oh, thank the gods!"

Lina took a step forward as the woman hitched up her skirts and ran towards her. "Mom?" she said, doing her best to keep back the tears.

"Oh, Lina!" the woman sobbed, nearly bowling Lina over as she latched onto her. Lina had ended up being a little taller than her mother, although they shared the same petite build. The last time she had seen her mother, Lina had only come up to her chin. "Harold, come quickly, our Lina's home!"

"What's that?" a deep voice bellowed, and a great, hulking man came marching out of the door. His hair was thick, wild, and as flaming as the sun before it sinks below the horizon.

"It's our Lina!" Lina's mother sobbed, and Lina buried her face in her mother's shoulder, feeling her own face wet with tears.

A strong hand clapped her on the back and she looked up into her father's whiskery face. he had grown a moustache and full beard in the time she had been away, and parts of it were streaked with white. "It's about time!" her father boomed. "We haven't seen you in over ten years, you know!"

"I know," Lina said, choking on her own words as she quickly tried to dry her tears. She didn't want her father to see her crying. "I was busy."

"That's what I heard," her father said. "You've been out teaching bandits and Monsters their business, is what I heard."

"Yeah," Lina said, her tears nearly dry. Her mother, however, was still weeping openly.

"Who's that?" her father muttered, his bushy red eyebrows plunging together in the middle of his forehead. "Are those children?"

"No, they're monkeys," Lina couldn't help herself from snapping. "Of course they're children!"

Her father just laughed at her, but his eyes blazed. Her mother took her hand and led her over to where Xellos and Lecia were standing, Lecia's eyes huge as she stared at her grandfather. Xellos, of course, simply wore his trademark smile. "Hello," Lina's mother said softly. "I'm Thalia Inverse, Lina's mother."

"A pleasure," Xellos murmured, bowing. He turned his most ingratiating smile on her and sighed. "I can see now where she got her exquisite bone structure and beauty," he commented.

Lina smiled as her mother blushed, trying to picture Gourry meeting her parents and suddenly very glad that he never had. "This is Xellos," Lina said awkwardly.

"Pleased to meet you," Thalia said.

Lina cleared her throat, the sparrows in her stomach getting worse. "And this is Lecia and baby Gorran."

Thalia crouched to look Lecia in the eye. The little girl edged closer to her father, but otherwise didn't react. "Hello, Lecia. It's nice to meet you."

"Hello," Lecia mumbled, sticking her index finger in the corner of her mouth.

Thalia stood and smiled down at the child. "Oh, Lina, she's just precious. And who is this, again?" she asked, pulling the cloth of Gorran's sling aside as she gazed down at him.

"That's Gorran," Xellos said. "He was born at the beginning of winter."

"He's darling!" Lina's mother cooed. "Oh, heavens!"

Lina's father, however, just stood in the road, feet planted. "Two kids, eh?" he rumbled. "They yours? That your husband?"

Lina swallowed. Okay, now to drop the bomb. "Yes, they're my children, and no, he's not my husband."

Her father's face turned a dark shade of red and his hands curled into fists. Lina's mother just looked at her, thin eyebrows furrowed. "But Lecia looks just like him, sweetie," she said.

"Good, because he's their father."

"YOU'RE NOT MARRIED TO THE FATHER OF YOUR CHILDREN?" Harold erupted. "What are you trying to do, ruin the Inverse name?"

"Dad, we've been together for six years, total," Lina protested.

"But, honey, it's not a good idea to have kids if you're not married," Thalia said, wringing her hands. "He could just up and leave you!"

Lina groaned and rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on! Does he really look like he's going anywhere?" she snapped.

"You picked...this...to father your children?" her father stammered. "He doesn't look like he could lift a bale of hay!"

Lina felt fear race through her and she looked at Xellos desperately, trying to read his mask. Of course, since he was wearing his inscrutable smile, she could glean nothing from him. Xellos just stood there quietly for a moment, smiling as if nothing at all had been said. "You shouldn't judge by appearances, sir," he said softly, and Lina could hear that there were many other things he wanted to say but wouldn't utter, for her sake.

"Well, you're not a deformed midget," Harold growled. "I always figured she'd marry one of those, if he was rich enough."

"I think he's handsome," Thalia said with a faint smile.

Xellos opened an eye a fraction, just enough to wink at Lina's mother. "Thank you," he purred, and Thalia giggled like a school girl.

"Thalia!" Lina's father barked. "Get back inside!"

Lina's mother bobbed her head and dashed back inside without a word. Lina glared at her father for long moments. "Your wife's a lovely woman," Xellos said gently. "So very obedient, too."

"The way it should be," Harold said roughly. "How about you? My daughter yank you around on a chain?"

"Not at all," Xellos replied coolly. "Lina and I are partners and equals, seeking counsel with one another or making our separate decisions as we see fit."

Lina clenched her jaw. Oh great, her father wanted to pound Xellos for not being manly enough and Xellos obviously wanted to zap her father for being a brute. Dammit, she should have warned him. "Dad, leave them alone and invite them inside, won't you?" a familiar voice said, and Lina's heart turned to ice.

"Luna?" she squeaked, slowly turning around.

"Hello, Lina," Luna Inverse said, looking at Lina with cool blue eyes from underneath her brown bangs. "It's been a really long time."

Lina smiled weakly and noted with surprise as Xellos' eyes flew wide open, the amethyst orbs staring at her sister. Of course Xellos would immediately sense what Luna was. He had been a Monster, after all. "Yeah, it has. Sorry I didn't write."

"I didn't expect you to. You did well with that whole Darkstar thing, though."

"Th-thanks," Lina stammered, feeling her fingers and toes go dumb with fear. No one frightened her like her sister did.

"So, who's this?" Luna asked, folding her hands over the basket she carried and fixing the children and Xellos with a hard stare.

Lecia narrowed her eyes and let go of her father's hand, walking over to Luna. Lecia wasn't shy, but she was usually fairly reserved with strangers, and so it was odd to see her approaching her aunt so boldly. "Are you a dragon?" she asked, looking up into Luna's face. "Because you feel like one."

Luna laughed, a rare thing indeed, in Lina's memory. "No, child," she chortled. "You're a wise little girl, aren't you?"

"Mommy and Daddy say I'm smart."

"And are you raising your kids around dragons, Lina?" Luna said, still chuckling.

"Actually, yes, a couple," Lina replied.

"What's your name?" Luna asked.

"Lecia."

"Pleased to meet you."

"Hello."

Luna smiled and shook her head, locking eyes with Lina. "She's a cutie," Luna murmured. "Smart as a whip."

"Good bloodlines, I guess," Lina said softly. She was still nearly frozen with terror.

"I'm Luna," her sister said, offering a hand to Xellos. He took it with the hand that Lecia had released and kissed the back of her palm.

"Greetings, Luna," he said, tone formal and wary. "I'm Xellos."

"I thought so."

Xellos arched an eyebrow. "Well met, Knight."

Luna smiled faintly, but the expression was not one of mirth. "Well met, Trickster Priest."

"Oh, cripes, Lina, you had a priest's kids?" her father groaned, and she realized he was still standing there. "You might as well just start walking the block after sunset! And what sort of priest consorts with women, anyway?"

"He's not a priest, Dad, he's a sorcerer. He never was a priest, not really."

"A sorcerer? That's almost as bad! I don't know why you're so caught up in all that magic nonsense," he grumbled.

"Dad, go inside," Luna ordered.

Harold's face softened and he shook his head. As always, Lina thought, Luna was the only one he listened to, the only one he respected. "Fine, fine," he grumbled. "Your mother probably needs help anyway."

They watched him leave, then Lina held her breath as Luna inspected Gorran. "Wow, he looks just like you," Luna said. "What's his name?"

"Gorran," Xellos replied stiffly.

"You'll have to excuse Dad," Luna said to Xellos. "He can be pretty overbearing."

Lina scowled as Luna shot Xellos a strange look, and Xellos' eyes narrowed in return. He didn't look upset, though, and Lina wondered what was going on. "That's quite all right," Xellos replied. "I've dealt with worse, to tell you the truth, although often the situation didn't require the...delicacy and patience...of this one."

"Sure," Luna said. "Come on inside." She held her hand out to Lecia, who looked at Lina questioningly.

"It's okay, she's my sister, your aunt," Lina urged. "She's not going to hurt you."

"Okay," Lecia said, still seeming dubious, but she placed her hand in Luna's and let herself be led into the house.

"I'm sorry," Lina whispered frantically to Xellos. "I should have told you, it's just that, well, I-"

"Shhh," he murmured, pressing a gloved finger to her lips. "It's quite all right. I just don't want you to worry."

She sighed and closed her eyes, reassured by his nearness. "I know, but-"

"Hush," he repeated. "Everything will turn out fine. Trust me."

"And why should I?"

He opened an eye and winked at her, holding up his index finger and smiling. "That's a secret," he whispered, and ushered her inside.

They had coffee and cake shortly after the sun set, making small talk. It was Luna who did most of the talking and Lina felt extremely uncomfortable. Xellos sat on the floor, Gorran sitting between his legs as he played with a soft, terrycloth toy Xellos had produced out of nowhere, and every so often the two would make baby sounds at one another. Lecia, apparently bored by the adult talk, read a picture book quietly and occasionally looked outside at the stars. Lina tried to listen to what her sister was saying, but she was just too nervous. Being home again rubbed her raw, and she was a little disappointed to find that nothing had changed. For all her accomplishment and fame, her father still didn't think she was worthy. "So what have you been doing all this time, honey?" Lina's mother asked with a gentle smile, startling her out of her dark thoughts. "Luna said you were going on an adventure with a dragon priestess, and that's the last we heard."

"No, we heard about that business in Seyruun," her father interrupted. "You were involved with that, weren't you?"

"Yeah," Lina replied. "That was what, six or seven years ago?"

"Seven, I think," Xellos said softly.

"Well, after that, my friends Amelia and Zelgadis got married. After their reception, I took off on my own and ran into Xellos. We went around doing research for a while, then settled down in this cute little town. He worked the fields while I continued to to research. Then Lecia was born, and we had this cute little beach bungalow. That got boring, so we moved to the mainland and lived in a port city for a while, where we owned this gorgeous manor house. We lived there for three years, I think, or maybe two, when I got pregnant with Gorran. We went to visit our friend Filia, the dragon priestess Luna mentioned, and that's where we've been ever since. We just bought this darling little house. It's being renovated, so we decided now was as good a time as any to take a trip."

"See, dear?" Thalia said to her husband. "That certainly sounds normal enough."

"I still didn't hear any mention of a wedding in there," Harold grumbled. "With Luna doing her knight thing and Lina sowing wild oats, who's going to take over the store when I'm gone?"

"Harold," Thalia chided gently. "Don't you think they're beautiful children?"

Harold sighed. "They are cute little buggers," he said. His brown eyes gazed at the children for a moment, then he gestured at Lecia. "Come here, little girl."

Lecia looked up at him, not putting down her book. "Mommy and Daddy say I don't have to do anything unless someone says 'please' or it's dangerous," she stated. "It's rude not to say please."

Lina almost burst out laughing at her father's expression. His bushy eyebrows shot straight up and he stared at the little girl. The temper flared in his eyes for a moment, then disappeared. "Okay, will you come here, please?" he growled.

"Sure," Lecia said, slipping from her seat and putting the book away. She trotted over to him and looked him straight in the eye. "My name is Lecia."

He studied her for a moment, looking her up and down. "So you're my granddaughter, eh?" he sighed.

"Mommy says so," Lecia replied. "She says you're her daddy, so you're my grandpa. You're my only grandpa, 'cause Daddy doesn't have a daddy."

"I'm so sorry for your loss," Thalia said gently.

Lina bit her tongue hard to keep from laughing, surprised to see Luna obviously doing the same. Xellos blinked at the woman for a moment, then smiled kindly. "Ah, thank you," he murmured.

"You're a sharp little thing, Lecia," Harold said. "You always listen to your mom, okay?"

"Okay," Lecia said, and turned away from him, plopping on the floor next to Xellos and leaning against him. "Daddy, I'm tired," she sighed. "When can we go to bed?"

"Lina, dearest, should I take her to an inn?" Xellos asked, and she noticed that he glanced sidelong at her father and Luna.

"Uh, sure," Lina said, glad that he understood that she really didn't want to impose on her parents.

"Nonsense!" her mother declared. "You're my daughter and you will stay right here. We have plenty of room."

"Well, then, may I ask you to show me to our room so I can put our things away?" Xellos asked, gathering up Gorran and standing gracefully.

"Ooooh, no," Harold said. "The only person who sleeps in the same room as my daughter in this house is her husband. You can sleep in the guest room."

"Lecia can stay in mine," Luna offered.

"Dad!" Lina protested. "Come on! I've been with Xellos for years, and if you're trying to keep something from happening, I think that the fact that we have two kids makes it pretty obvious that it's a little late."

"Has he even asked you to marry him yet?" her father snapped.

"Xellos would have married me any time," she growled in return. "I'm the one who doesn't want to get married."

"Oh, you'd rather have your honor stained, is that it?"

"Honor? What the hell is that? Is it honorable to always put down your daughter and try to tell her how to live her life?" Lina raged.

"Lina!" Thalia gasped.

Lina burst from her chair, fists ready, and her father did the same. They were about to start screaming when Xellos smoothly intervened. "I understand your concern, sir," he said calmly. "I don't mind taking the guest room at all, if it would make you more comfortable."

"It would," Harold growled.

"Xellos!" Lina protested, reaching out and grabbing his sleeve. She couldn't believe he was abandoning her like this! Wasn't he supposed to be on her side, not her father's?

"It's all right, dearest," he murmured, and suddenly locked his eyes with hers. She could have slapped herself for having doubted him. He hadn't been called the Trickster Priest for nothing, after all. "I don't mind being without you for a few nights."

She was about to growl that she minded when she was finally able to master her emotions. "Fine," she muttered.

"At least your man can see sense," her father rumbled. "Too bad he can't get my fool daughter to do the same."

"I'll at least tuck you in," Xellos said to Lina. "Come along, little one."

"Good night," Lecia said to everyone, and followed her father up the stairs.

Lina wanted to cry in frustration. She hated her father. He wasn't being fair. They sat in uncomfortable silence for a few moments, then her father got up and stretched. "I'm going to turn in, too. Have to get to the store early tomorrow."

"I'll join you," her mother said, coming over to Lina and kissing her on the forehead. "I'm so happy that you're home."

"Sleep tight, Mom," Lina mumbled and watched her parents climb the stairs.

Now it was just her and Luna. Luna, the terrifying waitress, the dominating older sister... Fear gripped her insides and she wished that she was very, very far away.

"You should have married him," Luna sighed. "It would have made things easier."

"It didn't feel right," Lina retorted, her anger at her father making her feel brave.

"Listen, I know you don't like me much, but I just want things to be best for you," Luna replied. She was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath. "Do you love him, Lina? Is that why you didn't marry him, because you don't love him?"

Lina felt all the old confusion bubble up inside of her, mixing with her fear and anger and making her sick. "I don't know," she admitted. "It's not like what I felt for Gourry."

"Oh, that swordsman you traveled with for a while."

"Yeah. I really loved Gourry. It was tingly and magical, and when I was with him it felt like floating on air, sometimes."

"It's not that way with Xellos?"

"Not at all. I mean, I know I care about him, but love him? I'm not so sure."

"Why not?"

"Because it's different than before."

Luna shook her head. "Listen here, little sister. Love isn't a set-in-stone kind of emotion. It's not obvious or easy sometimes, like sadness or anger. The weird thing about it is that it's different with different people. Just because it's different doesn't mean it's not love."

"Well, he doesn't love me, either."

"What makes you think that?"

"He's never said it."

"Oh, Lina, you can't possibly be that blind!"

"What?"

"You don't think he says it with his eyes every time he looks at you?"

"No, Xellos would just say it."

"Even if he thought you were afraid to hear it?"

Lina had no answer for that. Xellos wasn't exactly known for being forthright, either. Was she missing something he was trying to tell her? "Maybe..." she muttered, suddenly uncertain.

Luna sighed. "Don't blow this, kid," she said softly. "I'll see you in the morning. Oh, and don't listen to Dad. He missed you, he really did."

"Whatever," Lina growled, following her sister up the stairs. Luna grabbed her hand unexpectedly and squeezed it, and suddenly Lina was transported to her childhood, to her earliest memories. Luna had held her hand often, back then, and squeezed it all the time.

"Hope you sleep well in that room. They always kept it for you, you know, in case you came home."

"We'll see," Lina sighed. "Night."

"Night, Sis," Luna replied, and moved off.

Lina closed the door behind her and sighed, fighting off the cacophony of emotions swirling inside of her. Stupid Luna, stupid parents, stupid Xellos for sleeping in a different room, just when she wanted him to hold her the most... As she stepped into the room and lit the candle with a spell she realized Xellos had put a neat pile of folded clothes on a chair and laid her pajamas out on the bed. She smiled and fingered the fabric, thinking how thoughtful he was. Her bed was even turned down for her. Humming to herself, she disrobed and put on her pajamas, sliding under the covers and bunching the pillows under her head. She blew the candle out and gazed around the room. They really hadn't changed a thing. All her old books were on the shelves and the dressing table was covered with the porcelain figurines of horses she had loved when she was a child. That was, of course, prior to her discovery that it was quite a bit of fun to break things...

She must have nodded off, because she awoke with a start to the sound of fabric hitting the floor. Turning in alarm, she readied a spell to defend herself, then felt a smooth body slide beneath the covers next to her. "Sorry to keep you waiting," Xellos' voice whispered in her ear. "Your father actually locked my door."

"He's such a creep," she growled.

"I had no idea your relationship with him was so strained," he murmured, kissing her neck behind the ear.

"It just makes me so angry. He's always telling me how awful I am, and yet Luna can do no wrong. Not that Luna's any better. She's so cold and smug. She wasn't like that when I was really little. I used to love her better."

"Does it bother you so much, what your father said?"

"Yeah, actually."

He sighed and nestled against her. "Well, have you ever thought about doing what he says?"

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Only to make it easier for yourself," he added.

"Like what?"

"Well, get married, for one."

"And what purpose would that serve?"

"It would appease your family, to begin with. It would also cut down on introductions and the requisite explanation time."

"I don't want to be anyone's wife. No one will ever own Lina Inverse."

"My intent is not to own you, dearest. I would never hold you against your will. I think I told you that once already, back when we were living in the cabin."

"You left the window open," she growled, hoping by the time he shut it and returned the heat would be gone from her cheeks.

"I apologize," he said, kissing her on the shoulder and sliding from bed. She turned to watch his lean silhouette framed in the window, a smile on her lips by the time he gathered her into his arms once more.

"It's okay," she murmured. "I'm just lucky you didn't levitate in here stark naked."

"I thought about it, but decided against it, just in case."

She rolled over and pressed her face against his bare chest, sighing and listening to his slow, steady heartbeat. He had been human for roughly a year, she realized, and her mind turned to the words here sister had spoken earlier. "I hate it here," she mumbled. "I now remember why I left."

"I'm sorry, dearest," he whispered. "Please try to relax and forget all about it. Soon enough we'll be on our way to Seyruun, and then to our new little house. Don't worry about a thing tonight. I'll watch over your dreams."

"Thanks," she breathed, and easily slipped into slumber, cradled by his arms.

Xellos entertained the idea of killing Lina's father several times during the night. He had been very displeased by the large man's treatment of Lina, although he now understood from where she got her coloring and disposition. The man actually wasn't that big, only about Xellos' height, but he was twice as broad. Lina's mother, by contrast, was achingly petite and sweet, but no one in the family seemed to have inherited much from her. No, that wasn't true. The same sort of sweetness sometimes shone through Lina's eyes, when she wasn't caught up in her own bravado. Still, the man had insulted both him and Lina, and he wasn't certain he wanted to put up with it. There were many tricky things going on in this household, it seemed, and he hadn't seen enough as of yet to know what course of action he would take.

He rose and slipped from Lina's bed long before dawn, making sure to lie in his bed long enough to warm it. It was nothing for him to levitate from his window to hers, but it bothered him that he even had to do so. Still, he did secretly want to marry Lina, and if her family's pressuring would help him in his cause, so be it. Besides, he had never had the opportunity to formally court her. It might be fun, trying to actually woo her and convince her to marry him. He didn't really know why he wanted her to be his wife; he just did. It really would be easier, being able to introduce her as his wife instead of saying that she was the mother of his children, et cetera.

Then, of course, there was Luna. He had been surprised to feel Ciephied's soul so strongly. Of course, he had known that Luna Inverse was the Knight of Ciephied. He just hadn't expected it to be so blastedly obvious. He had always heard of her, but it was quite a different thing altogether to meet her in the flesh. Still, the Knight wasn't all she was. He could understand why Lina was so terrified of her, but at the same time he felt Luna was like some sort of multifaceted puzzle, where you only saw the pieces she wanted you to. Well, he was the master of games, and not even someone like a Knight could keep him from knowledge he desired.

Still, he had to find some way of making this visit a positive experience for Lina. That thought still in his mind, he dressed and tried the door, finding it unlocked. So Mister Inverse had gone to work, it seemed. Well, no matter. He straightened his shirt and walked downstairs, wandering until he found himself in the kitchen. It smelled of baking bread and was a cozy and warm space. "Coffee?" someone asked, and he saw Luna standing in a corner, already dressed in her waitressing outfit. The cloth barely covered her generous breasts, and he remembered understanding the night before why Lina had always felt her perfectly good chest to be inferior. Luna could have smothered two men in the deep cleft of her cleavage. It seemed sort of extravagant to Xellos.

"No, thank you," he replied. "I'm more of a hot cocoa person." Also, Luna didn't have any of Lina's petiteness. She was a large woman, with wide shoulders and broad hips.

"You shouldn't be a person at all, Trickster Priest," she said.

"I applaud you for recognizing me, considering we've never met," he replied pleasantly, accepting the cup of cocoa she presented to him with a gracious nod. "I would have expected you to, in my original form, but like this..."

"You're right, we haven't met," Luna agreed. "Still, I knew you were traveling with her, manipulating her. I worried for a while, but then figured you'd never get rid of her. She was probably too much fun for you."

"Alas," he said with a sigh.

"Still, I'm surprised she ended up with you. I would have thought a Monster-turned-human would be different.'

Xellos smiled and inclined his head. "You mean the whole emotion thing?" He chuckled. "It's true, I'd rather die than hurt Lina or our children. I truly adore them. Everyone else, though, is fair game. I no longer have loyalty to the Monster race, but I have none to the human race, either."

Luna narrowed her eyes. "You're a dangerous man."

"And you're a woman to be reckoned with. I imagine the only people who could give you a run for your money are my former mistress and your sister."

"True." Luna paused for a moment, studying him over the rim of her cup. "So, if you hurt her, I'll kill you."

It was Xellos' turn to chuckle. "I knew there was something going on there. You adore her just as much as I do, don't you?"

"Lina's too beautiful and gifted to be in this family," Luna replied. "Dad wanted to marry her off young and force her to take over the business. I love Lina, and knew she could do better, but she's always been so desperate for his approval that I knew she would do what he told her to."

"And so you changed your close relationship into one of fear, so she would do what you said instead of your father."

"Precisely. I hated to do it, I hated to bully her so and scare her, but I knew in the end that it was for the best that it was better. Even if she loathed me for the rest of her days, it was worth it to see her grow."

"She would have known less pain and fear than she has, though," Xellos mused, swirling the liquid in his mug.

"True, but she wouldn't have been free. Can you imagine how that would have ruined her?"

Xellos shuddered at the thought. "So, enemy mine, we have something in common after all."

"What's that?"

"We both love Lina."

Luna smiled slowly. "I knew it."

"I wanted you to. She doesn't feel the same way, though."

"I can't help you there."

He stared into his mug for a moment, then sighed. "If you can feel my astral form, you probably felt Lecia's as well."

"I noticed, yes."

"Unfortunate, that. It was an accident. I tried to change it, but it was too late."

"I'm sorry."

Xellos studied her carefully, taking in the curves of her cheeks and lips, looking deeply into her eyes. "Why did you know Lina had to be free? I didn't think humans were usually so wise, even ones who harbor the souls of dead gods."

"It's because of that soul that I knew," Luna explained. "When I was very little they found out what I was. I was sent away for training, and when I came back I had a new little sister. As we grew up, I saw she had chances I didn't. I'm trapped by my station and fate. I'll never be my own woman. My talents aren't even my own, but the side effects of the soul sharing my body with my own essence. Lina, on the other hand, had true ability, and the chance to live her own life. She could marry for love or not marry at all as she saw fit, not condemned to virginity as I am. Lina could have whatever existence she desired, and I couldn't deny her something as wonderful as that, especially when I knew what it was like not to have the option."

"I thank you for that," he said solemnly, and he meant the words.

She gazed at him for a while, resting her jaw in her hand. "You're a lot more handsome than I expected," she said suddenly. "Being one of the Greater Beast's minions, I always figured that you'd look more wolfish than you do."

Xellos shrugged. "My mistress liked pretty things, what can I say?"

Luna smiled. "I guess so. Your children seemed to have inherited the best from both of you. Lecia talked for the longest time last night about all the fun things you do together."

"She's my heart's joy," Xellos murmured, taking another sip.

Luna followed suit, swallowed, and leaned forward. "You want to marry Lina?"

"It had crossed my mind," he said, aloof.

"I think she's still frightened enough of me to do what I tell her to."

Xellos shook his head. "No, I want her to do it because she wants to. No games with Lina. Everyone else is a potential target, but she deserves better."

"You know, I never thought I'd say this about a Monster, but I actually sort of enjoy you."

His mouth curled up at the corners. "I'm not a Monster anymore, just a normal human man," he said with a wink. "I find you more pleasant than I expected as well. You're more gentle and noble than you'd have people believe."

"People will walk all over you if they think you're soft. Besides, I'm a knight."

"Still, you'll have to tell her that you love her. She deserves to know. There's no more benefit to be had from her fearing you."

"All right, how about this," Luna said, extending her hand. "I won't tell you how and when to love her if you do the same for me. Agreed?"

Xellos smiled and shook her hand. "Agreed," he murmured. "But your father's fair game."

Luna shook her head, then looked up at the ceiling. Sure enough, the sounds of stirring came from above. "Just don't make it worse," she muttered, rinsing out her mug and gathering up her things. "I'll see you all tonight."

"Have a pleasant day," he said brightly, and waved to her as she walked out the door.

The rest of the day seemed very mundane after his surreal discussion with the Knight of Ciephied. Lina's mother was absolutely wonderful, and they talked and cooked all day, taking breaks to play with the children. Lina seemed content to sit in the yard, read, and relax, and then her father came home. Xellos was just serving her and Lecia lemonade, chatting about the best way to get stains out of the tablecloth with Lina's mother, when Harold stormed out onto the patio. "Still lazy, eh, girl?" he said with a smile. "I sure could have used your help today, you know. Your Mom could have taken care of the kids, or your wife-man, here."

"Pardon me?" Xellos asked, setting down his tray. He was confident enough in his masculinity that such jibes didn't really bother him, but he knew that her father was just using him as a way to put down Lina.

"You heard me," he said. "What sort of self-respecting man plays nursemaid? You should be out earning a living, supporting your children."

"Lina and I have a stable enough financial situation that neither of us is forced to work," he explained patiently, as he would have to a child. "Because of that, I am free to support my children in other ways. I daresay that because of this, I will most likely have a far better relationship with my children than you do with yours."

"I have a fine relationship with my girls," Lina's father growled.

"I don't doubt that you tried to be the best father you could be," Xellos said calmly. "However, I would hardly call a situation where one daughter thinks your are overbearing and boorish and the other is so frightened and hurt by you that she can hardly think straight a 'fine' relationship."

"Strong words from a skinny, useless sorcerer," Harold snapped, eyes flashing, and Xellos was forced to smile, his behavior was so like Lina's.

"Xellos, you don't have to defend yourself to him," Lina said, eyes hard. "You're better than that."

He winked at her. "Don't rob me of my fun, dearest," he murmured, then turned his attention on her father, showing the man the power of his cool, bottomless, amethyst stare. "Lina deserves only the best, and as her man, I happen to be the most accomplished sorcerer you'll ever meet," he said softly, voice dangerous.

Harold, like Lina, was not daunted. "Oh, is that so?"

"Yes," Xellos whispered with a cold smile, and lifted his hand an inch into the air. Lina's father screamed like a child as he shot up into the air, and before anyone could blink he was out of sight.

"Xellos!" Lina shouted, jumping from her chair. "What the hell did you do to him? Where did he go?"

"Harold!" Lina's mother screamed, falling to her knees.

"Please, neither of you need worry. He's perfectly safe, you have my word. I just thought he could use some time alone to rethink things."

"But where is he?" Lina demanded.

"Just up there. See that small, dark dot, next to that large cloud?"

"Yeah," Lina muttered, shading her eyes.

"That's him."

"What did you cast?"

"Oh, it's a combination of things. Think of what would happen if you mixed Levitation, Ray Wing, and Buday Wind. It's sort of like that."

Lina's mother was sobbing on the grass, covering her face with her hands. Lecia slid from her chair and went over to her, patting her back gently with a small hand. "Don't worry," the girl said softly. "It's okay, Grandma. Daddy won't be bad. Grandpa's okay."

"Dad's fine, Mom," Lina repeated, a slow smile spreading across her face. "Xellos wouldn't hurt him. He just wants to show him that he should think before opening his mouth."

"Mister Xellos...is very...strong, I see," Thalia gasped, wiping at her eyes.

"He's the only human on this planet that could give me a run for my money," Lina said with a wink. "Of course, I can cast a few spells that he can't."

"Absolutely true, my dear," Xellos said with a smile and nod. "Let's leave him up there for another ten minutes or so. What do you think?"

"I think my dad probably peed his pants," Lina laughed. "Of course, he'll hate you now."

"He did before."

Lina shrugged, but slid her hand into his and gave it a quick squeeze. "I think it's perfect."

"Wow," a voice said behind him, and he felt Lina press herself against his side.

"L-Luna," Thalia said, standing shakily. "You're home early."

Luna shrugged and put down her basket. "Yeah. I wasn't supposed to work at all today, except I promised Katarina I'd cover her shift. What happened? How did Dad get up there?"

Lecia trotted over to Luna and looked up at her, rocking back and forth on her heels. "Grandpa was saying mean things to Daddy, so Daddy put him up in the air."

"You should have done it, Lina. You should have let Dad know how strong you are."

Lina paled. "I like what happened just as well," she said quietly, staring warily at her sister.

"I suppose it's still pretty funny," Luna replied with a shrug. "At least he'll probably think twice about insulting sorcerers again."

Lina sighed and took a step away from him. "You should let him down."

Xellos stuck his lower lip out in a pout. "Really? Are you sure I can't keep him up there just a little longer?"

Lina scowled. "I'm sure."

"Very well," Xellos muttered. "I'll go up and fetch him. I'm afraid the trip down would be much more frightening than the trip up."

"You do that," Lina said, eyebrow raised.

Xellos smiled and took to the air, rising nearly as quickly as Lina's father had. It took him a little while to catch up to the man, and when he did he found him shivering and quaking, face pale. "Have you had some time to think about what you said?" Xellos said with a benign smile, floating in the air with his arms crossed.

"A-are you human?" her father croaked, eyes wide.

"I am now," Xellos replied brightly. "Don't you think my darling children look human?"

"Y-yes," Harold rasped, looking down at the city far below.

"You know, Lina's strong enough to do this, too," Xellos said, demeanor instantly switching from friendly to serious and slightly sinister. "She's the most powerful magic-user on the face of this planet."

"Except you."

"Actually, I don't count. It's a bit hard to explain. Lina, however, can do things I cannot."

"Then why didn't she send me flying?"

Xellos smiled, the expression just slightly wolfish. "I suspect it's because she loves you and would do almost anything to get your approval. She longs for you to think she's worthy. That's actually why I sent you up here. I know what I am, and what I'm capable of, and so words from someone like you mean nothing to me. However, I will not let you use me as a tool to hurt her."

"Lina's tough, she can handle it," her father replied, his voice a little stronger.

"I know she is. My point is that you're her father. She shouldn't have to handle anything from you. You're her parent, and the point of being a father is to make things easier for your children, not harder."

"If you coddle them they'll grow up to be weaklings."

"Loving and telling them you love them and you approve of them isn't coddling. If you don't believe me I can have Lecia send you up to sit on the roof when we get back down there."

"Lina doesn't need me to tell her that she's strong and beautiful. She knows it already. Heck, she's famous, and she probably hears that sort of thing all the time. She doesn't care if I'm proud of her or not."

"I'm afraid that you are wrong, Mister Inverse," Xellos said with a shake of his head. "It's your opinion that matters. She knows that she is strong and beautiful, but she doesn't know that you think she's strong and beautiful."

"And I don't scare her."

"Do you really think she stayed away from home so long because of some other reason?" Xellos asked coldly. "If my children waited so long to visit me, I would wonder what I had done to hurt them."

He watched something flicker in Harold's eyes, then go still. The man pressed his lips into a line underneath his moustache, and he looked at Xellos flatly. "You think she's really that upset?"

Xellos felt his expression soften slightly. If this man hadn't been Lina's father he would have killed him. As it was, however, Lina would expect him to show some mercy. Only for Lina would he try to do something so alien to his nature. "I know she's that upset. She almost turned around when she saw your house, so much did she dread coming back. She's told me things, too. I've known Lina for a long time, and I have rarely seen her good spirits crack as thoroughly as they do when you belittle her."

"I'm just teasing."

"She doesn't know that. She thinks you don't like her, that you don't love her."

"That's nonsense."

"Then tell her."

"We're not a very demonstrative family, in case you haven't noticed," Harold grumbled.

Xellos nodded. "I know. I can tell by the way Lina acts. She'd rather die than admit her feelings, most of the time, but I have my ways of finding out what she's going through. Still, I think it would be best for everyone if you swallowed your pride and told her the truth. I can force you to do it, but I think it would mean more to her, and would be more pleasant for you, if you just did it yourself."

"You're an odd, cold man," Harold replied, narrowing his eyes.

"I know, but I love your daughter."

"Give me a little time," Lina's father muttered.

"As you wish. Shall we go back now?"

"Please," the large man said fervently.

Xellos extended his hand. "Am I man enough for you now?" he asked coldly.

"I think you're more than capable of taking care of my daughter," Harold answered, and clasped Xellos' hand.

"Good enough," Xellos replied, and took them back to the ground.

Lina watched in anticipation as Xellos floated off into the sky, and soon she could no longer make him out. Her heart thumped in her chest, and she felt a little guilty that she was so pleased he had done what he had to her father. Of course, Xellos was a master at putting people in their place. He really had no scruples or regard to feelings, and as such it was always very, very difficult oppose him. Still, the expression on her father's face had thrilled her, and the fact that Xellos had stepped up so smoothly to their defense made her heart flutter in her chest. She didn't know anyone else who could have proven a point so well so efficiently.

She started as she felt a hand on her shoulder, surprised to see her sister as she turned. "It's okay, kid," Luna said softly, and Lina had to struggle to control the panic response the older woman was setting off inside of her. "He's a good man."

Lina nodded, not sure if Luna meant their father or Xellos. Still, it didn't really matter. Her sister's touch was oddly gentle and affectionate, and she wondered if Luna hadn't changed in the decade since she had last seen her. She could remember a time when she and Luna had been extremely close, and wondered if such a time would come again.

"He's coming down," Lecia said, sitting in her Grandmother's lap.

"Is he okay?" Thalia asked, eyes wide and brow fraught with worry.

"Yes," Luna answered, and then Lina could see them.

Xellos' dark clothes flapped in the wind created by their descent, and Lina's father, who was about the same height as Xellos, clutched at the sorcerer's arm tightly, eyes wide and face pale. He looked frightened but unharmed. "Are you all right, Dad?" Lina asked, taking a few steps toward him. Her father released Xellos' arm and walked past her, pausing and putting a large hand on her shoulder as he did so.

"I'm fine," he said, voice a little shaky. "I just need to sit down for a while."

Thalia came over and took his elbow, leading him into the house. "Did you have fun, Grandpa?" Lecia asked, following her grandparents inside.

Lina sighed and shook her head, then noticed that Luna and Xellos were looking at one another. Something passed between them and the corners of Luna's mouth curled up slightly. Lina realized with surprise that her sister was actually a pretty woman when she smiled. It smoothed out the austere lines of worry and duty etched into her face. Xellos broke their shared moment and looked down at Lina. "I hope I didn't overdo it," he said mildly.

"I don't care," Lina said. "Even if he yells at me for the rest of my life for having picked such a terrifying man, it was worth it to see that look on his face."

"I don't think Dad sees Xellos quite like that," Luna said cryptically, and went inside as well.

That left Lina and Xellos standing in the yard. She gazed up at him and sighed, putting her arms around his waist and resting her head against his chest. His hands clasped one another in the small of her back and she smiled, closing her eyes. She hadn't ever felt this close to him, she didn't think. He was defending his own honor and pride as well, of course, but there was still something sweet in the way he had defended them at all. Lina knew her father well enough to know that any attack directed at Xellos was actually meant for her. Suddenly she wanted to be closer to him, feeling for the first time in her whole life like being defended was very, very sexy. "I wish we were totally alone," she murmured, pulling the hem of his shirt from his trousers and resting her palm against his washboard stomach.

Xellos chuckled, the muscles moving beneath her fingers as he did so. He kissed the top of her head and sighed. "I understand. Some day, dearest Lina, some day... I think we need to get things straightened out with your parents before we go play, though."

Lina growled and withdrew her hand, untucking the rest of his shirt in defiance. "Fine," she grumbled. "Be all responsible and stuff. See if I care."

"I can hear Gorran fussing. We did leave him alone in his pen for a good twenty minutes."

"Oh well," Lina sighed, and took his hand, nearly dragging him back into the house.

Dinner was strained but remarkably cordial, Lina noticed. Her father didn't put her down once during the whole meal. Of course, he spent most of it shoveling food into his mouth, a trait she knew she had inherited. Thalia still seemed in shock, but Lina knew her mother was the accepting sort and would get over it eventually. Xellos was oddly quiet, but she knew she didn't have to worry about him. Luna, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy the whole situation immensely and appeared to even be jovial. Lecia pestered Xellos to let her feed Gorran the rice cereal Xellos had started him on, and Xellos kept gently refusing. Gorran, for his part, just giggled and smiled toothlessly at his father every time Xellos aimed the spoon at him.

They ate dessert and retired to the parlor, where Lecia insisted on showing Gorran picture books and reading to him while Xellos held them both in his lap, smiling down at them. Lina thought Xellos never looked quite as happy as when he was taking care of the children. She supposed that it was only natural, since the children were chaotic and unpredictable enough to provide his ex-Monster senses with plenty of amusement. Xellos, after all, had based his existence upon entertainment for thousands of years.

Her father and mother sat together in matching chairs, her mother sewing a new apron for the store and her father reading the newspaper quietly. Luna, to her surprise, settled down next to her in the window seat and watched the sun set with her. It was nice, feeling quietly companionable again with her terrifying sister, and she wondered why Luna's attitude had changed so much. "I'm proud of you, Sis," Luna murmured, softly enough that probably only Xellos would be able to hear.

Lina felt something inside of her tremble. "Uh, thanks," Lina replied in disbelief.

"I was always concerned for you, you know," Luna admitted. "You always tried so hard, and it never seemed good enough. You cared so much that I was worried you wouldn't be happy."

Lina blinked, startled both at that her sister cared that she was happy, and the realization that yes, she actually was happy. "I did my best," she responded.

Luna nodded. "I thought for sure you'd end up with that swordsman guy. He seemed nice enough, from what I heard. Probably would have made a good husband and father. You would have been happy with him."

"I know," Lina whispered sadly. She would always miss Gourry.

"Still, I think you could be just as happy with Xellos there, if you'd let yourself. I didn't approve of him at first, but now I think you did just fine."

"I'm trying," she told Luna.

"I know. Once he gets the hang of the whole humanity thing I think he'll be able to give you everything Gourry could have and more. Not to put down Gourry, because I'm sure he's wonderful, but I think Xellos is more your equal, you know?"

"Sometimes love isn't about equality," Lina muttered.

"I think you and Xellos would do better, too, if he had some way he could be sure of you."

"What's that mean?"

"I mean he's worried about how you feel about him."

"He knows how I feel about him."

"That's the problem. He only knows what you know, and you haven't really decided how you feel about him. Sure, he seems to be satisfied with just knowing you care enough to stick around, but you really haven't made any commitment."

Lina narrowed her eyes. It felt like she was being led. "Where are you going with this, Luna?" she asked, voice low and dangerous.

"Nowhere," Luna said with a shrug, strands of brown hair sticking in the corner of her mouth. She cleared them away and regarded Lina levelly. "I'm just saying that things would be easier for both of you once you quit doing this bizarre dance."

"We're fine," Lina replied sharply. "We're perfectly happy."

"No, you're perfectly content. Happiness is different than contentment, Lina."

"Why do you care? It's not your relationship!"

Luna smiled. "I just want you to be nothing less than happy. It's all I've ever wanted for you. Why do you think I did what I did?"

Lina swallowed hard, thinking she suddenly knew the reasons for her sister's newfound friendliness. Had Luna's behavior so many years ago just have been an act to get Lina out of the house and let her find her own way in the world? "I don't know," she said slowly.

"It's because I love you, kiddo. I always have, even when I made things tough for you."

Lina looked at her sister with new eyes. "You scare the hell out of me, you know. You change at the drop of a hat."

"I have to. Have to keep you on your toes, you know."

"Yeah, like that damn Xellos and our kids don't do that for me enough," Lina smiled, and suddenly realized that Luna had asked for forgiveness, and she had given it. Years of layered fear began to erode. It would take a while for her to completely trust her sister, but she knew it would happen someday. Luna would always be there for her, would always be her sister. Lina knew that now.

"No worries, kid," Luna said, sliding off the seat, patting Lina's hand.

"I love you, too," Lina whispered.

"I know," Luna winked, and went off about her business.

"Mommy, will you read me a story while Gorran gets his bath?" Lecia asked, holding up a book.

"Sure," Lina replied, and Lecia immediately crawled up into her lap. It felt good to have her daughter's sweet little body cuddled against her own. She liked having Lecia close enough that she could feel the little girl breathing and know that she was healthy and happy. Picking up the book, Lina saw that it was a fairy tale about a common scholar who melted a princess' heart of ice. "Very funny," she said to Xellos as he passed by her, Gorran in his arms.

He merely grinned at her and winked.

Lina sat up and read long after her parents had retired. Her mother had kissed her good night, as always, and even her father had patted her awkwardly. Well, something was better than nothing. She was sure there was a time when her father had dandled her on his knee like any other father, but she certainly couldn't remember it. At any rate, she knew she had never been cuddled like Xellos cuddled Lecia, and she was happy that her daughter was more sure of Xellos than Lina would ever be of her own father. Xellos had gone upstairs as well, putting Lecia to bed and then Gorran, although Gorran never seemed to want to sleep much. Still, the boy had finally nodded off, and Xellos took the opportunity to catch a nap.

The book stopped interesting her after a while. It was a novel, after all, and she had never had much patience for fiction. She thought her life was more interesting than most of the stories people came up with. Who knew- maybe someday someone would write about her exploits. Her life had definitely been the stuff of legend, after all. Sighing, she put the book down and doused the candles, creeping up the stairs to her room. She knocked lightly on Xellos' door, but there was no sound from within and she knew he must be sleeping. Disappointed but feeling quite exhausted herself, she opened the door to her own room and stopped in the entrance, dumbfounded.

Candles were everywhere, softly burning and bathing the entire room in a golden glow. Red roses covered every surface, and the petals were strewn over the floor. She walked wide-eyed over to the bed, where Xellos had turned back her covers again, and saw that petals of the wild white rose she loved so much were scattered all over the sheets. A parcel wrapped in pastel tissue paper and tied with a ribbon was on her pillow, and as she unwrapped it a beautiful set of silk pajamas slid through her fingers. The silk was a dark maroon and felt heavenly as she rubbed it against her cheek. Even the fabric smelled like her favorite white roses. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. When had Xellos found the time, and how did he know she would love it so much, that it was just what she needed at the end of that day?

She spotted an envelope on her pillow as well, her name written in Xellos' dark, elegant handwriting. Opening it, she pulled out the note. "I have my ways," it read. "Sleep tight, my dearest. I shall partake of your stunning beauty again after the sun has risen. Breathlessly, Xellos."

Dammit, he even knew to answer her questions when he wasn't in the room. She blushed and read the note again. What did he think he was doing? Roses and candles? Silk pajamas and lovely notes? Was he crazy? She turned and looked around the room again, taking in the sight of it. No one had ever done anything like this for her before. It was beautiful and romantic, and although she hated to admit it, she was touched. Her bedroom was like a scene from a fairy tale, and yet she did nothing to deserve it. Xellos' logic eluded her, sometimes.

Then it occurred to her that doing such a thing wasn't an act of logic. It was an act of feeling. Did he really care about her so much? She pressed the note to her mouth for a moment, closing her eyes and seeing his writing in her mind's eye. She'd also never gotten a love letter before. Gourry was literate, but he couldn't turn a phrase. Even though it was bizarre and sentimental in her thinking, getting a love letter was quite nice. Something stirred deep inside of her and her blush deepened.

The heady scent of the roses and the warmth of the candles made her heady, but they also relaxed her. She brushed the white petals off of her bed and disrobed, sliding the new pajamas over her skin. They felt just heavenly and fit perfectly. What a wonderful gift. Crawling in between the sheets, she extinguished the candles with a simple spell and snuggled down into her bed. The smell of roses filled her nose and she sighed, asleep before she even exhaled.

"Lina, I thought you might like some- Oh!" someone said, and Lina groaned, opening her eyes one at a time. Her mother stood in the doorway, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. "Who did this?" she breathed, taking in the room.

Lina rubbed her eyes and sat up, glancing about. The candles, roses, and petals were still everywhere, making an enchanted sight even in the morning. "Oh, Xellos did it. I found it when I came to bed last night. He left these pretty jammies for me and a note, too."

Lina's mother crept inside the room, still looking around in wonder. "It's gorgeous," she murmured. "How wonderful. Oh, aren't these white ones your favorite flowers? How nice that he remembers what you tell him."

"I never told him what my favorite flowers were, Mom. He always just knew."

Lina's mother smiled. "He asked me to watch the children for a few moments when you fell asleep in your chair, but I didn't see him bring any flowers with him when he returned."

"Xellos has his ways," Lina replied, yawning and scratching her head.

Lina's mother came over and kissed her on the forehead, just as she had when she was a child, and picked up the note Lina had set on the stand. Her face went dreamy as she read it, then handed it reverently back to Lina. "How romantic!" she cooed. "Your father wrote me a few love letters, back when we were first interested in one another."

Lina raised an eyebrow. "Say what? Dad, writing love letters?"

Thalia laughed. "Oh, yes! Even though he seems gruff, your father's the biggest romantic at heart." She smiled at the recollection, her eyes dancing, and studied her daughter. "I suspect you're the same way."

Lina blushed immediately, remembering the way her heart had pounded in her chest the night before. "Am not," she growled.

Thalia stroked her hair. "Whatever, dear," she said gently. "Those are lovely pajamas, too."

"Thanks. He has pretty good taste, most of the time."

"I see that," her mother said with a wink. "Anyway, I just wanted to know if you were interested in breakfast."

"You know better than to ask me that," Lina grumbled, reluctantly sliding out of bed. She saw her mother glance at the floor once more. "Don't worry, I'll have that cleaned up later."

"Okay," her mother said brightly, and moved off down the hallway.

Lina dressed and went downstairs, making her way to the kitchen. Lecia sat at the table, eating pancakes with very good manners for a five-year-old, and Xellos was sipping a mug of tea, reading the paper and holding Gorran in his lap. Her mother bustled away at the counter and Lina just stood at the doorway, smiling at them for a moment. She decided it was nice to have family.

"Good morning, Mommy!" Lecia cried, setting down her silverware and running over to Lina.

"Oof! You're getting so big!" Lina grunted, picking Lecia up and squeezing her. Lecia wrapped her arms around her neck and kissed her on the cheek, then began to squirm. Lina let her down and watched her race back to the chair. Xellos looked up at her over his paper and smiled gently, then went back to his reading. It was as if he hadn't done anything out of the ordinary the night before. "Hey, you," Lina said to him.

He looked at her again, blinking. "Good morning, lovely," he smiled.

"I slept very well," she said, carefully watching his reaction.

"That's wonderful," he replied, obviously meaning it but blatantly ignoring her connotation. Damn him for being inscrutable.

"Oh, and thanks," she said nonchalantly, taking the chair next to him.

Xellos broke out in a foolish grin. "I'm glad," he beamed.

"Breathlessly, eh?" she murmured, blushing and unable to keep from smiling.

He waved the paper in the air. "You know how I get," he winked. "I was far too tired to do anything but sleep last night, and Gorran woke up several times."

"He could sleep in my room," she offered, taking Gorran. The baby squealed and held out his arms. Lina smiled at him and undid her shirt, putting him to her breast.

"You need your rest," Xellos insisted. "Anyway, I was thinking of taking the children to one of the wineries today. Lecia's been going on and on about the 'whineries,' so I thought I'd take them to visit."

"Sounds like a plan," she said, looking down at Gorran's face as he nursed.

"Would you like to come?"

"No, I think I'll go visit Luna at the restaurant."

Xellos looked at her in surprise. "Really?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"That's excellent! She's really very fond of you, you know."

"That's what I hear," she replied with a smile.

Xellos nodded and leaned back in his chair, mouth curling up at the corners. "Good," he murmured. "Well, have fun. We'll miss you."

"I've seen wineries," Lina insisted, mouth watering as her mother set down a huge stack of pancakes in front of her. She gave Gorran back to Xellos, whereupon the boy immediately sat up and began to reach his chubby little hands towards his mother's food. Xellos cooed to him softly and fended him off, but she didn't really notice. She was too intent on the food in front of her.

The rest of the day passed normally. She visited Luna at work briefly, then wandered the streets, thinking back to her childhood. More people lived there, but other than that it hadn't changed much. The town held both good and bad memories, and when she was reminiscing she realized she preferred things the way they were at present. Her wanderings finally took her home, where Xellos was already waiting for her with the children, and not long after her father arrived. They ate supper together and settled in the parlor once Luna came home. They had been sitting chatting about the coming year's grape crop when her mother announced it was time for dessert. Luna, Thalia, and Xellos served everyone, and just as they were about to eat, Lina's mother declared she had forgotten to bring out the cream. "Lina, be a dear and fetch it, please?" she asked, and Lina nodded, standing with a sigh. She went to the kitchen, located the cream, and turned to make her way back when she saw her father standing in the doorway. He had a stern expression on his face and her stomach sank. She really wasn't in the mood for a browbeating at the moment.

"What?" she asked sharply. "You here to tell me not to drop the cream or otherwise mess up?"

Something in her father's face flickered. "I guess I deserved that," he mumbled. "But no, that's not what I wanted."

"Well? What did you want, then?"

Her father sighed. "I'm sorry," he said quickly, his face going red and his voice strained.

"What?" she asked, surprised. "For what?"

"For making you feel like I didn't love you. I do, you know."

"Right."

"No, really. You're my little girl, and you always will be. Heck, you take after me. Maybe that's why I always wanted you to be perfect."

"Sorry to disappoint you," she said bitterly. "At least you still have Luna."

She almost regretted her words when she saw pain rise in his eyes, but the words felt too good to say. She had been waiting a long time, after all. It was time he got what he gave.

"I never loved her more than you. It's just that Luna's fate was sealed young, and I wanted someone to follow in my footsteps. I guess I went about it the wrong way."

"I'll say you did. You made my childhood hell, you know. I was never good enough for you, no matter how hard I tried. Well, Dad, I stopped trying to live for you and started doing it for myself. I'm pretty happy about how things turned out."

Her father took a deep breath and leaned against the door frame, hands in pockets. "Yeah, you're famous, powerful, and have darling kids. Even that weird fellow you're with seems to think the world of you. I still don't think he's the most savory of characters, but I don't think he'd ever hurt you."

"No, he wouldn't. He won't ever hurt his kids, either."

Her father lowered his head a bit, looking at her at an angle. "I'm proud of you, Lina," he murmured, and she felt herself go still with surprise. "I've been proud of you for a long time. You're every bit the woman I hoped you'd be. I'm glad you didn't listen to a thoughtless old man."

"Dad," she murmured.

"I'm sorry, Lina. I've done a lot of thinking, and even though it won't make things better, I'm sorry. I really do love you."

Lina did drop the pitcher of cream then, the crockery shattering as it hit the floor and cream splattering their boots and trousers. Hot tears welled up behind her eyes and then broke loose, streaming down her cheeks. It felt like something inside her broke and suddenly her father's arms were around her, big and strong. He was still a jerk and always would be, but at least she knew how he really felt. "Just don't do it again, okay?" she sobbed into his shirt, burying her face.

"I'll try," he promised.

Lina thought that was good enough, and cried herself dry.

When she was finished crying, Xellos appeared out of nowhere and silently ushered her and her father to chairs. He cleaned up the cream and the broken pitcher, then disappeared as suddenly as he had come. He didn't say a single word to her, but he caught her eyes and smiled at her, touching her hand gently, and his gesture said everything it needed to. She could hear him rounding up the children and enlisting Luna to help him bathe them, and soon the house was quiet.

She and her father talked for quite some time, which seemed to be as difficult for him as it was for her. Neither of them were very good at expressing their emotions, and there were years and years of misunderstandings and old anger to work through. It was tense sometimes, and it really wound Lina up, but even though she felt stressed and worn out by the time they had finished their discussion, she also felt like things had improved. She kissed her father on the cheek and checked on Xellos and the children. He was sitting on his bed, Lecia curled up against his side as Gorran reclined against his chest, reading stories to them. The sound effects he was coming up with were making the baby giggle, which made Lecia giggle as well, and she kept reaching out and tickling his foot. It was a nice scene and she watched them for a while until Xellos noticed her and winked, not pausing in his storytelling. Lina smiled and quietly closed the door.

She drew herself a bath, which made her feel marginally better, then went to her room, surprised to find that the roses had been arranged in a large vase. Other than that, and the pajamas folded neatly on her turned-back bed, there was no trace of the spectacular setting the room had been the night before. Shoot, she had forgotten to clean up the room, but Xellos had probably done it for her. Cripes, she thought, if he kept this up she wouldn't have to think at all, before long. Still, she was grateful she didn't have to clean up, and it was nice to slip into her luxurious pajamas and slide in between the cool sheets. She read for a while, then blew out the light. It took her a little while to doze off, and just as she did so she fancied she heard music.

Wait, she was hearing music. It seemed to be coming from outside. What was going on? Curious, she slipped from her bed and threw open the window, leaning out. A small quartet of musicians stood beneath her window, softly playing a lovely song. From the shadows a clear tenor rang out, the song getting louder as the singer approached, and then Xellos appeared, bathed in the moonlight. He smiled up at her as she leaned out of her window, her long, unbound hair falling in shimmering curtains on either side of her face. She blushed deeply and brushed her hair aside so she could see him better. The song was beautiful, but she couldn't understand the words. They were in elvish, apparently. Still, the melody was incredible and completely enchanted her, transporting her to a different place altogether. She stood, entranced, as his voice wound around her and carried her off, and she felt a strange longing tug her heart as the song came to a quiet end. The sweet sound of the music reverberated in her entire body, and it was almost as if she had been spellbound. A great sigh left her and her cheeks flamed with blushing, but she couldn't help but admit that she was touched. Xellos stood on the ground beneath her, eyes sparkling in the moonlight as he smiled up at her.

"What did the words mean?" she asked softly, knowing he would hear her.

His smile turned impish and broadened. "That's a secret," he replied.

"Daddy!" she heard someone shout peevishly, and Lina looked over to the next window. Her entire family had gathered in Luna's window, even her mother and father smiling as they looked down at her serenader. "That's not fair!" Lecia continued.

"How romantic!" Lina's mother sighed, clasping her hands, and Luna and her father chuckled.

"Mom!" Lina hissed, her blush almost deepening to a purple. She was horribly embarrassed, but oh, she had loved hearing him sing. "Go back to bed, all of you!"

"Come on," Luna ordered, and the people disappeared, the window closing.

"Did you like it?" Xellos asked from the ground.

"I guess so," Lina mumbled, still ashamed by that she had been so consumed by the music and the romance. She was Lina Inverse, the bandit killer, not some lovesick schoolgirl. A strong woman should have more backbone, she thought, and less sentimentality.

"You guess so?" Xellos repeated slowly, raising an eyebrow.

Damn him. "Okay, I really liked it," she mumbled, wondering just how red her face would get before her head exploded. She sort of hoped it would blow up, because then she wouldn't have to remember how hard her heart was pounding at the moment, or how fluttery her stomach was feeling.

"That's better," he grinned.

She leaned against the windowsill more comfortably and felt her mouth curve into a smile. She also felt just a little bit smug. After all, she was the only woman she knew who had actually been serenaded.

Just as she was thinking that, Xellos broke into song again, eyes locking with hers. She felt like she was melting into his gaze, then was carried off by the music once more. Sweetness filled her body at the sound of his voice, the clear pitches sending shivers through her. It was wonderful to know that he sang such things for her and only her. He had been alive for thousands of years, but she somehow was certain that she was the only woman he considered worthy of his music. After all, the only other people he sang to were their children, but he sang them a different sort of song and not these melodies that lifted the heart and carried it away.

When he finished again Lina leaned her head against the side of the window frame and they just gazed at one another for long moments. She felt like a princess, a goddess, and was loving every moment of it. "Are you happy, my dearest?" he called up to her, spreading his hands.

"Yes," she replied, smiling.

He lifted into the air, hovering just outside her window. His thick, glossy hair shone in the moonlight, the silver strands picking up more light than the others and shimmering. Slowly he reached forward and caressed her cheek with warm fingers, cupping her jaw and pulling her forward slightly. His lips were soft and sweet as they met hers, the flesh gently molding together in a simple, yet passionate, kiss.

When he finally released her it felt like her heart was in her throat, her cheeks blazing. Her mouth tried to follow his as they separated, but he coyly moved just out of her reach. Her brow furrowed slightly as she watched him depart, but she relaxed again as he drew his thumb along the plump curve of her lower lip and smiled. "Sweetest of dreams, dearest Lina," he murmured, then retreated to the ground. She blinked once, and he and the musicians faded back into the shadows.

She stormed down the stairs the next morning, cranky as all-get-out. The sweetest of dreams had indeed visited her the night before, but almost all of them involved her and Xellos entwined in one hot, writhing embrace or another. Dammit, what did he think he was doing? He was being so wonderful and romantic, which made her really, really want to get him into her bed, and yet he hadn't slept in her room since that first night. Even then they hadn't done anything, and Lina was going crazy. Was it all just a sick game of his, to turn her on and then not show up?

Of course, it wasn't just her body that was burning for him. Something else had changed, too, but she wasn't quite sure what it was. Her frustration, however, overshadowed all, and she was in quite a fit when she showed up in the kitchen doorway. "Xellos," she growled, glaring at him where he sat in a chair, spooning rice cereal into Gorran's mouth. "What the hell are you doing?"

Xellos blinked at her. "I'm feeding Gorran. We're starting him on solid foods, remember?"

"That's not what I meant!" she shouted, taking fistfuls of her own hair and tugging. "What's with all this romantic crap? How come you're putting flowers in my room and singing to me and stuff?"

Xellos smiled and shrugged. "I don't know. It just seemed like it would be entertaining. After all, since your parents won't let us share a room, I thought it'd be fun to court you."

"Uh, people don't usually court one another after they've had kids," she said, putting her hands on her hips.

"I know, but I never got a chance before. You have to admit, things were pretty rocky at the beginning. You deserve it, so I decided now was as good a time as any. Besides, isn't it fun to be courted in the town you grew up in? Can't you pretend that you're still a maiden, and everything's for the first time?"

Her cheeks flushed as she recalled that she had been doing just that all along. "Well, it's driving me nuts," she growled.  
Xellos actually had the gall to laugh. He was laughing at her, dammit! "Absence makes the heart grow fonder, so they say," he chortled.

"Absence makes the heart freaking angry!" Lina snapped.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked.

Lina's tirade came to a full halt. What did she want? She actually really liked that Xellos was paying so much attention to her. It was like she was walking through a dream. Never before in her life had she felt so treasured, so precious, to anyone. "I don't think so," she said, voice uncertain.

"All right, then," he grinned. "If you wouldn't mind feeding Gorran for a bit, I'll start your breakfast."

Lina took his chair, feeling drained and defeated, as he moved to the stove. "Where's Lecia and Mom?" she asked, taking up the spoon and trying to get Gorran to eat. The little boy scowled at her and batted at the spoon, constantly twisting and trying to reach for his father.

"They're out in the garden," he replied, breaking a few eggs into a pan. "Your mother's watering the plants and Lecia's helping her."

"Oh," Lina said, turning her attention back to Gorran, who was still avoiding her. "Dammit, this kid won't eat!"

"Sure he will," Xellos murmured. "You just have to make bird noises."

"What?"

"Just pretend like the spoon is making bird noises and he'll eat. Or you can try to make him laugh and then stick the spoon in when he opens his mouth. Either works just fine."

"You expect me to make bird noises?"

"No, Gorran expects you to make bird noises."

Lina pursed her lips and glared at her son. "I hope you appreciate this," she grumbled, and lifted the spoon. Clearing her throat, she did her best to warble. It took a few tries, but eventually Gorran's eyes followed the spoon and he chomped down on it. She managed to get him to eat quite a bit, and then he signaled that he was finished by driving his hand into the bowl, splattering the cereal all over her. It took a moment for realization, and the cereal, to sink in, and then she simply groaned and shot a dirty look at her offspring.

Xellos turned around and chuckled, shaking his head. "Whoops, I forgot to tell you that you need to hold his bowl when you feed him, otherwise he'll do that every time."

"Thanks," Lina muttered angrily.

Xellos came over with a towel and dabbed at her clothes, wiping down the baby while he was at it. "Your breakfast is almost ready," he said gently. "I'll launder these clothes in a bit."

Lina sighed and leaned back in the chair, watching as he bustled around. "Xellos," she asked, "don't you want anything more out of life?"

He stopped and turned to look at her, frowning slightly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, all you do is cook, clean, do laundry, take care of the children... Don't you ever want to do something else? You're powerful enough that you could go out into the world and make a name for yourself in no time flat. You could have riches and power beyond human conception, if you wanted to. Don't you want any of that?"

Xellos laughed for a moment, then smiled at her gently. "All I want is you," he said simply, then turned to go back to his chores.

A while later she took Lecia by the hand and led her through town, showing her all the places she used to hang out when she was a kid. Lecia seemed pretty impressed, asking questions constantly. "And here," Lina said, standing outside a green building, "is the family business."

"Is this were Grandpa works?" Lecia asked, staring up at the sign. "Gro..serr..eee?"

"Gro-shur-ee," Lina pronounced. "Grandpa sells a lot of fruits and vegetables to people. He has grains and preserves, too."

"Can we go inside?"

Lina looked down at the child, who was tugging at her hand wildly, straining towards the store. "Fine," she said with a sigh, a strange apprehension coming over her. She hadn't been in the store for long time, after all. When she had worked there her father had yelled at her all the time, and not many pleasant memories were made there. Lecia squealed and pushed open the screen door, and Lina was overtaken by the sweet smell of produce.

"Lina!" she heard her father yell, and saw him waving from behind the counter at the other end of the store. One of the building's walls was open to the street, and people milled in between the displays.

"Hey, Dad," Lina said, following the skipping Lecia over to the counter.

An old man was leaning against the counter, chatting with her father, and when she drew close his eyes opened wide. "It can't be our little famous Lina, can it?" he asked.

Lina just blinked at him. "Yeah, I'm Lina," she said suspiciously.

Lina's father laughed. "Don't you remember Mister Renoldo, the librarian? You used to live in his stacks during the wintertime."

Lina's eyes grew wide. "Is it really you, Mister Renoldo?" she asked. She immediately remembered the kindly librarian. He had often let her read the special reserved reference books, and let her check out more books than her limit.

"Oh, you grew up to be so pretty!"' the old man breathed. "Just look at you!"

Lina blushed and looked at the floor, putting her hands on Lecia's shoulders and holding the girl in front of her. "This is my daughter, Lecia."

The old man bent and smiled at the child. "She's just as pretty as her mother, and what unusual hair and eyes. She'll grow up to break a few hearts, this one."

"Mommy says hurting people is wrong," Lecia muttered, finger resting in the corner of her mouth, glistening with saliva as she studied the fellow.

"She must have your husband's coloring," Mister Renoldo said with a smile.

"He's not my husband," Lina snapped.

Lina's father smirked at her as the old man scratched his head. "Oh? I'm afraid I don't follow you..."

Lina clenched her teeth. How to explain it? Xellos wasn't her husband, but what was he? One usually didn't call the person one had babies with a lover, nor was he her life partner. After all, she figured they'd go their separate ways once the kids were old enough. What should she say he was? "Er, everything happened sort of quickly," she muttered lamely.

"Did he abandon you?" the old man murmured with a sympathetic nod of his head.

Lina's father laughed. "I don't think she could get rid of him if she tried," he said. "He's probably back at the house right now, helping my wife with the chores."

"I was wondering why I hadn't seen Thalia here this week," the customer sighed.

"She was going to garden, but then Lina and her little crew showed up, so she and Lina's man have been going crazy trying to cook enough food for everyone."

The old man chuckled. "So, he's a domestic one, eh? Sounds like just the type a famous sorceress like you needs, someone to tend to the home while you're out adventuring."

"Oh, he often adventures with me," Lina replied. "He's quite handy to have in a pinch."

Lina's father's face turned grave. "He's an accomplished sorcerer," he said quietly.

The old man's eyes widened. "Well, if he's going to keep up with our little Lina, he'd better be as smart as a whip," he smiled.

"Daddy's very smart," Lecia interjected.

Lina stroked the child's head. "Dad, Mom wanted me to tell you we were going to have a bit of an early dinner today. She wants to eat out on the patio before it gets dark."

Harold grinned and reached across the counter, taking her hand and squeezing it. "Okay, my girl. I'll be home as soon as I can."

"It was nice to see you, Mister Renoldo," she said with a wave.

"Nice to see you!" Lecia echoed.

The old man waved and nodded his head, and Lina led Lecia out of the store and back home.

As they were walking, Lina pondered the run-in with the old librarian. The idea that Xellos would ever abandon her was absolutely absurd. Still, what were they? He wasn't her husband, and he was still her lover, but he was also the father of her children. She supposed that made him her mate, but was it for life? Besides, the word "mate" made it seem like some sort of bizarre, bestial thing, when in fact it was a conscious decision they made together. Dammit, why couldn't anything with Xellos just be simple?

As they neared her parents' house she realized that her feelings for Xellos weren't simple, either. Of course, she was a complex woman, and he wasn't a simple man. Perhaps there would never be a label for what he was to her. "Daddy, Daddy!" Lecia screamed, tearing into the house. "We're home!"

Xellos walked out of the kitchen, Gorran tied in a sitting position to his chest. He knelt to embrace Lecia, and the little girl kissed her brother on the forehead as soon as he was within reach. Gorran squealed and smiled, reaching for his sister, where he immediately took hold of her silky pigtails. "La la!" he burbled, grinning like crazy.

"We went to visit Grandpa," Lecia explained, holding very still and looking at her brother. "We had to tell him dinner was going to be early."

"Ba ga gaa!" Gorran replied.

"It was fun. Mommy showed me places she went when she was little."

"Aaaaaaah," Gorran said, still beaming.

Lecia placed another wet, childish kiss on her brother's head, making the baby squirm and wipe at his eyes with his fists. As soon as she pulled away, however, he reached out and put his palms on her cheeks, laughing. Lecia rolled her eyes at her parents, then started to laugh as well, putting her hands over Gorran's. "He's my best brother!" she announced.

Xellos chuckled and bent his head, kissing the crown of Gorran's head. "Come on, love," he said to the baby. "We're not finished hanging up the laundry."

Gorran made little noises of distress and reached for his sister, and she kept his little hand in hers. "It's okay," she said softly. "We'll see each other later. Maybe Grandma will put us in her lap and let me cuddle you again."

"You can certainly ask her," Lina said.

Xellos stood and winked at Lina, his smile making a grin of her own blossom over her face. He was so silly sometimes that she couldn't help but be amused, and she noticed that of late he was making her laugh more often than he was making her tear her hair out in frustration. "Let's go see what Grandma's doing in the garden," she said, and herded her daughter outside.

Dinner on the patio was quite pleasant. Her father and Xellos actually had a spirited conversation about the rarer types of fruit, and Lina kept rolling her eyes at Luna, who would smile at her. It never ceased to amaze Lina how much Xellos knew, and his experience with fruits and vegetables from all over the world won over her father's heart like nothing else could. Her father adored plants, and as soon as he realized Xellos knew as much as he did, no one could get a word in edgewise. Her mother entertained Lecia, braiding and unbraiding the child's hair as they lounged in their chairs, feeling sated and content from the meal. The sunset was beautiful, Luna holding Gorran in her lap and pointing out the colors. Luna obviously liked the children, which made Lina sort of sad. After all, Luna's destiny as a Knight didn't allow her to ever have a family of her own.

Still, as they all sat and chatted companionably, the scene earlier in the store still bothered her. She hoped Xellos didn't catch her glancing at him all the time, because she didn't want to worry him. If only she knew how she felt about him. It would make so many things easier. Then again, Luna insisted that she already did know how she felt about him, she just needed something to happen to make her realize it. Her sister always had been oddly simplistic about such things. Of course, she could also remember others implying that she was emotionally obtuse. In fact, pretty much everyone had either hinted at it or said it outright.

Suddenly feeling stifled by all the family and people, Lina opted to take a walk. "I'm going to go for a stroll," she announced, getting up from her chair.

Oddly enough, no one seemed surprised by it or offered to go with her, not even Xellos. He was occupied with Gorran at the moment, anyway, having run across a poopy diaper emergency. "Don't forget to take a cloak," her mother said with a gentle smile. "It still gets chilly at night."

"Sure, Mom," Lina said, and grabbed a shawl on her way out.

The stars were just appearing, the slender sliver of moon on its way to the horizon. There wasn't much light coming from the sky even on such a clear night, even though she could see ever star in the spiral arm of the galaxy passing overhead, but it was enough illumination to see the path by. She carefully picked her way to the large park at the edge of town, where she found her favorite spot.

When she was a little girl and things were bothering her, she would always come back to the same place. In the park was a pond, more of a lake, really, with rolling lawns all around it. Willow trees were everywhere, overhanging the still water in places, and Lina used to love to watch the reflections of the stars wink in and out as the shadows of the willow leaves passed between their light and the water's surface. It was a peaceful, beautiful place, and the wind was always cool as it blew off of the lake. In the distance, if one was standing in the right spot, the western mountains were even visible. It was this viewpoint, of course, that Lina chose. It had always been her favorite, back when she was young and would come to her spot to think and dream.

She made her way around the edge of the lake, feeling the cool breeze work its way through her hair and kiss her cheeks. Everything was perfectly quiet, save the chirping of a few early-spring crickets, and she felt the place's peace steal over to her. She kept walking until she found her spot, glad to see that it hadn't been too vandalized over the years. Her favorite place to sit was on top of a rather large rock, for it was the highest point in the park unless one had a mind to climb trees. Lina had, of course, but she still preferred the way the rock fit her body. It was far easier to scramble up it than it had been in her youth, and it didn't seem quite so high as it used to, but it was still nice. She had a perfect view of the entire park, the trees silvery in the faint moonlight and the lake's surface so smooth it seemed like nothing but a mirror of the night sky.

Sighing, she situated herself in the rocks, pulling the shawl closely about her shoulders. The gentle sounds of the crickets, breeze, and softly lapping water stilled her soul, and she began to do some very serious thinking. Almost all her thoughts were centered on Xellos, although her mind would sometimes wander to her children, Gourry, or even Filia and Val. Things were going well in her life, she realized. Her relationships with her father and Luna were on the mend, if still far from ideal, and of course she was still close with her mother. It was good to see them again, and she loved them very much. She also loved her children more than she expected to. Lecia was lots of fun to have around, and Gorran was a terribly sweet baby. She still loved Gourry, although the nature of that love had changed a little. He would always be dear to her, but she knew she had moved past him. It didn't kill her to think of him any more.

In fact, the only thing that wasn't perfect in her life was Xellos. It wasn't even him, really. He was acting perfectly, and she couldn't ask for more. No, it was something inside of her, something she needed to figure out, if only she knew how.

Gradually she noticed that she could hear soft, steady footsteps coming towards her across the grass, and she looked up to see a shape emerge from the tree line. The figure was even darker than the nighttime around it, as if it was absorbing light and letting none escape. She held her breath, ready to spring into action if it happened to be an attacker, but as the person drew near she saw a familiar silhouette. Her heart pounded in her chest and moved up into her throat, coming to rest right at the back of her mouth. The footsteps came closer and closer until she could see silver hairs gleaming in the moonlight amidst a sea of dark gloss. "I thought I'd find you here," a silky voice murmured, and she looked down into Xellos' face.

"How did you know?"

"I came here earlier, when I was taking Gorran for a walk. This was my favorite place in the park, you see."

Lina exhaled and leaned back against the rocks, very pointedly not looking at him. How odd that he would show up when she was thinking about him, almost as if she had summoned him. "It's a beautiful night," she sighed.

"It is, when I can see you," he replied. "Unfortunately, there isn't room on the top of that rock for me to sit with you."

Lina growled in her throat and moved to a lower vantage point, sitting on a ledge that was only a few feet from the ground. It still raised her higher than she would have been if she was standing, but it only put her at eye level with Xellos. "Happy?" she grumbled, but she couldn't help smiling at him. His handsome face seemed like a sculpture, with his fine, straight nose and pointed chin, and the corners of his mouth curved upward as she gazed at him.

"Fairly, yes," he answered.

He looked her in the eyes and she looked back, feeling as if she would fall into his dark irises. They sparkled faintly in the moonlight, and suddenly she felt so enchanted that she wondered if she was dreaming. "Thanks for the past few nights," she murmured. "They were really wonderful."

He swallowed hard, as if his mouth had gone dry, and as he reached underneath his cloak she thought she saw his hands trembling. Odd, she had never seen him act that way before. Xellos never got nervous, so it couldn't be that. Was he coming down with something? "I just have one last thing for you," he said softly, pulling out a rose. It was her favorite flower, the white wild rose, and he had somehow found one with a nice, long stem. The blossom was utterly perfect, slightly open, and it seemed as if it was not a plant at all but actually some sort of ivory carving. The scent emanating from it was heady and spicy in the still evening air, and she found herself inhaling in anticipation. He presented the rose to her with a flourish and she gently took it, holding it tenderly. Xellos still trembled and swallowed out of the corner of her eye, but she was far too engrossed by the rose to really notice it. She smiled at him and began to lift the blossom to her nostrils, eagerly awaiting the full power of its scent, when she noticed something sparkle deep in the heart of the rose. Whatever it was glittered intensely, even in the dim light of the setting moon and stars, and she carefully spread the petals with her fingers, plucking the shimmering objects from the depths of the flowers. A diamond ring appeared, the gem the clearest and most flawless of any she had ever seen in her life. The cut was so exquisite that it seemed to generate its own light as she turned it in her hand, and her cheeks flushed with pleasure. It was the most beautiful thing in the world, and she felt her heartbeat's tempo increase in her chest.

She looked up to thank Xellos for such a beautiful gift and watched him sink to one knee, putting his right hand over his heart and his left hand out in supplication. "Lina, my love, will you marry me?" he asked, eyes shining with moonlight.

Lina was struck dumb. Her tongue seemed to swell until it filled her whole mouth, making her unable to speak. She held the rose limply in one hand and curled the ring in the other, just staring at him. "Xellos?" she asked in disbelief.

She saw raw panic seize his features, and his battle with disappointment played across his face. Hope seemed to win, and he stretched out his hand even farther, not moving from his kneeling stance. "I love you, Lina," he said softly. "I know I've never said it before, but it's true. I didn't realize it until recently, but I truly love you, heart and soul. No one else will ever be my beloved. You mean the world to me, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life."

She blinked at him rapidly, feeling her own brand of panic creep up on her. "But you know how I feel about marriage," she murmured. "I don't want to be owned by any man."

"Do you really think it would be about ownership?" he asked gently. "I'm only asking you if you'll let me be by your side until the day I die. It's your decision, of course, but I can think of no greater honor than to be able to say that the indomitable Lina Inverse deigned to take me as her husband. I can think of nothing more wonderful that the woman I love accepting me and my commitment in such a manner."

"But..."

"And I'm not trying to replace Gourry, either. I only want to be his equal in your heart. I want to share everything with you, Lina, my body, my heart, my soul, and my life. I want to walk down the street and have everyone know that I'm yours and only yours for all eternity."

"Xellos," she said, wanting to cry from the tenderness and beauty of the moment, from hearing such words from his lips. This was how he truly felt? He truly adored her so much?

"I just want to be one life with you, beloved," he whispered. "I want to be one life and one heart with you, the way we have been one body. If you don't love me, though, I'll understand, and I'll never leave you no matter what your answer."

The truth of his words, one of the only blatant truths he had ever spoken in his whole life, reverberated through her entire being. Her soul resonated with his words, and as she looked down at him, kneeling in the grass below her, everything became clear to her. He had said he loved her, and meant it. His eyes absolutely shone with love for her. "Xellos," she repeated.

She saw that his control was about to crack, pain hovering behind the shimmering surfaces of his dark eyes. "I'm sorry, Lina," he murmured, moving to stand up.

Lina slid off of the rock as quickly as she could, her motion halting his. He blinked up at her, still kneeling, and suddenly she couldn't hold it back anymore. Warm, sweet tears welled up behind her eyes and made glistening trails down her cheeks. "I love you, too," she whispered, putting her hand in his outstretched palm.

His eyes went wide at her words, his entire body freezing for a moment, and it was as if time had stopped all around them. "Lina," he croaked, standing suddenly and drawing her near as he did so. He took the diamond ring from her shaking hand and put it on her ring finger, pressing her knuckles to his lips.

"I'll take you as my husband, Xellos," she said, barely able to speak as emotions washed over her. Oh, why hadn't she noticed it before? Why hadn't it occurred to her that the burning, incredible feelings that washed over her when Xellos was near were feelings of love?

"You've made me the happiest, most fortunate man on this planet once more," he breathed, and the rose dropped from her hand as he swept her up into his arms and pressed his warm mouth to his. She clutched at his strong back as he kissed her, making her heart soar to the stars themselves.

"I love you, Xellos, I really love you," she murmured against his lips.

"I love you, Lina. Thank the gods, how I love you."

She kissed him for long moments more, her entire body trembling with the release of emotion. After a while he gently released her and picked up the flower she had dropped, offering it to her reverently. She reached out her hand to take it and was astounded as the diamond on her left hand seemed to dance with light. "It's beautiful," she whispered, eyes wide, then brought the rose and inhaled deeply. Its scent was sweet, but not nearly as sweet as the warm feelings that were spreading all through her body.

"Nothing compares to you," Xellos replied. "Not the sun, stars, or most precious of gemstones."

She clutched the rose to her chest and slid her free hand into his, reveling in his warmth as his hand closed around hers. "Let's go tell the others," she said quietly, and led him into the shadows.

Xellos felt his heart flutter all the way home. Lina's slender hand rested easily in his, the smooth skin of her palm melding with his. Every once in a while he would look down at her, the moonlight accentuating her dainty features, and his face would almost split as he smiled. He had never felt so happy, not in his entire existence. Now that he was human, an entire realm of joy was open to him. He honestly couldn't have asked for more than to have Lina in his life, and then he found out that she loved him! She loved him, just as he loved her, and they would soon be joined together forever as husband and wife. He wasn't certain why the process was so important to him, especially since he had no respect for the gods or their ceremonies, but it really did matter to him. Perhaps it was because he was tired of explaining to people that yes, he was his children's father, and yes, he would stay with Lina for as long as she would allow, but no, they weren't married, and no, he didn't really know why. The more likely explanation was that he was under the impression that humans married for love, if they had a choice, and if Lina ever agreed to marry him it would mean that she loved him very, very much, maybe more than anything. After all, she had never agreed to marry Gourry, and Xellos knew the swordsman had brought it up.

His face burned furiously in his excitement, his blood pounding through his veins. Every time he looked down at Lina he could see that her cheeks were stained pink as well, her eyes sparkling with happiness. Her joy was his joy, and since he was already ecstatic, he thought his heart would explode from the feeling. This all-encompassing ardor, this insane glee, this feeling of freedom and belonging, this was love! He felt as giddy as a schoolboy. Well, if he had ever been a schoolboy. The Monsters didn't know what they were missing.

They stopped on the stoop of her parents' house, him reeling her into his embrace and clutching her tightly, not caring who might be watching as he bent and took her in a passionate kiss. She made a soft noise and leaned into him, her fingers winding through his hair. Parting his lips, she drove her warm, sweet tongue into his mouth, making him moan and move his hands from her waist to her rear. Oh, he wanted her so badly. The scent and heat of her were driving him mad, and his desire was made even more intense by the fact that he knew the next time their bodies joined, it really would be making love.

"They're back!" a voice shouted, and Lina tore away from him, her head whipping about. Xellos' blush grew deeper and he turned to see Luna standing in the doorway, grinning like crazy.

"Hello, Miss Luna," he said with as much self-control as he could muster. His heart was still thundering away in his chest, his body harkening after Lina.

"Hey, Sis," Lina muttered, smoothing out her hair and surreptitiously fanning herself. "What's up?"

Luna's smile grew even wider, if it was possible. "Dad was sure you two were out fornicating in the bushes somewhere. He almost even used language not fit for young ears."

"F-fornicating?" Lina stammered, eyes wide.

Luna's smile turned wolfish. "Yup, you know, legs in the air, getting all sweaty and nasty-"

"I get it," Lina growled, cheeks burning so intensely Xellos was vaguely surprised they weren't actually putting off light. "Well, we weren't."

"You were about to," Luna chuckled. "Right here on this stoop, as a matter of fact."Xellos smiled at Lina, wondering what would have happened if he had started to make love to her against the side of her parents' house, right in the street. The idea didn't entirely bother him, truth be told. Of course, Lina was always yelling at him for having no modesty. "Dearest, we should-"

"Don't you even start," Lina growled, holding up her hand. "I don't want to hear it."

Xellos sighed and pretended to pout for a moment, then brightened considerably. "But we have good news!" he announced. "Will you let us pass, so we can tell everyone at once?"

Luna smiled and waved them inside. "Hurry up. Lecia and Gorran were getting antsy for your return."

Xellos giggled and grabbed Lina's hand, towing her inside. She protested and tugged, but he would not be deterred, dragging her into the parlor and presenting her to the entire family. Lina's parents sat in chairs by the fireplace, the two children were sitting on the carpet, Lecia showing colored cards to Gorran, and Lina stood in the doorway behind them. "Good evening, everyone," he said gaily. "I have something to tell you all."

Lina's father's eyebrows plunged. "Well? Out with it, boy!"

Xellos pulled Lina to his side and squeezed her, grinning like a maniac. "We're getting married!" he chortled, kissing Lina on the top of the head. Lina blushed but couldn't help smiling as well.

"Oh, sweetie!" Lina's mother gasped, putting her hands over her mouth. "This is just wonderful! Congratulations!"

Lina's father laughed and slapped his knee. "Well, you did things a bit out of order, but I'm glad for you!"

Lecia blinked up at her parents, then leaned over to Gorran. "Our Mommy and Daddy are going to be husband and wife, just like in the fairy tales, and live happily ever after," she explained slowly. Gorran stared at her for a moment, then looked up at Lina and Xellos.

"Aaaaah," he said, raising his arms. Lecia laughed and patted his head, smoothing his hair back so that all could see the two moles on his forehead, identical to Lina's.

Xellos, still giggling, bent over and picked up his son. "That's right, love!" he cooed at the baby, holding him over his head. "Your mommy and daddy are going to be husband and wife forever and ever!" Gorran squealed with delight and gurgled at his father.

"Forever, forever," Lecia sang, prancing circles around her parents.

"So, when's the ceremony?" Luna said, her eyebrow raising as she eyed Xellos. He understood her implication perfectly well. It would be rather ironic that he, once one of the most powerful Monsters on the planet, would be wedded to a human woman in a ceremony of the gods.

"As soon as my beloved wishes it," Xellos said, cradling Gorran in his arms and bouncing him. "I insist, however, that the time be taken for the assembly of the finest-quality attire for my dearest. I will accept nothing less."

Lina blushed. "Well, I guess I don't mind wearing a pretty dress just this once," she mumbled. "It is sort of a special occasion."

"A once-in-a-lifetime occasion!" Xellos declared, kissing his son on the head with a great smacking of lips.

"I wanna throw the flowers, just like in the books!" Lecia announced, still prancing in circles.

"Lecia, honey, sit down," her grandfather said, gesturing the little girl over. She stayed out if his grasp coyly for a few moments, then let his large hands catch her and pull her into his lap. Lecia giggled and toyed with his beard, smiling at her parents.

"Of course you can throw the flowers," Xellos said gently.

"Yay!" Lecia said, clapping her hands wildly, and Harold had to keep a tight grip on her to keep her from falling out of his lap.

"There's actually a very talented tailor in town," Luna said. "I bet he could put together some beautiful clothes for you two in a matter of days."

"Do you mind if we invite a few of our friends?"Thalia asked.

"Of course not, Mom," Lina said, then threw Xellos a glance. He read volumes in her glance, and he shook his head slowly. "But we don't want to have it in the temple."

Her mother gave her father an uneasy glance, then they both looked at Lina. "Well, then, where did you want to have the ceremony?"

Xellos shrugged, leaving it up to Lina. It was her hometown, she should decide. "How about in the park, next to the shore of the lake, at sunset?" she asked. "We could bring chairs."

"And I will officiate," Luna proclaimed. "I am, after all, a person of rank in the religious orders."

"True, true," Xellos murmured. Actually, as odd as it might seem, he was more comfortable with the thought of Luna and the soul of Ciephied marrying them than an anonymous priest. "Is that all right with you, dearest?" he asked Lina.

"Sure," she replied. "Other than that, we won't need much, I don't think. I'd like a nice bouquet of flowers, but that's all."

"We already have the rings," Xellos said with a wink. The amurium rings already looked like gold, and their clean, simple design would make excellent wedding bands. Besides, what better way to show his new wife that he loved her than to show her all the time through the rings' magic?

"So we do," Lina smiled. "I think, then, that as soon as our clothes are ready, we'll be ready!"

Lina's mother became all dewy-eyed and clutched at Harold's hand. "So, let's see the ring!" she said.

Lina raised an eyebrow. "How do you know about the ring?" she asked.

"Dear Xellos told me he was planning to do this the other day, and said he found a gorgeous stone."

Lina turned and glared at him. "You've been scheming this whole time?" she growled.

Xellos shrugged and shot her his most ingratiating smile. "Well, I did have it in mind. I wasn't sure I'd have the courage to do it, because I was afraid you'd say no, but I decided to do it anyway. Besides, I told you I was courting you, didn't I?"

"I didn't know you meant for real!" Lina protested.

"Enough," Lina's father interrupted. "I want to see my daughter's engagement ring!"

Lina blushed and held out her hand, wiggling her fingers so that the large diamond caught the firelight and sent it sparkling around the room. Her mother and Luna both gasped and moved closer, huddling around the stone, and Harold laughed. "It's so lovely!" Thalia breathed, taking Lina's hand in hers and moving it around to see the stone from all angles.

Harold stood and clapped Xellos roughly on the back, nearly sending him tumbling. He managed to right himself, however, and smiled uncertainly at the large man. "You don't do anything halfway, do you, boy?" he guffawed.

"I do my best?" Xellos said, eyebrows raised.

"Uuuuh! I wanna see!" Lecia whined, tugging at her mother's shirt. Even Gorran made impatient noises and reached toward the sparkling gem.

"It's late, little one," Xellos said, tucking Gorran under his arm like a ball and reaching down to Lecia with the other. She squirmed and tried to get away, but he managed to hoist her into the air and sling her over his shoulder. "Bath and bed for you."

"But Daaaaaddyyyy," she moaned. Gorran began to imitate her noises, and soon both children were mewing like wet kittens.

"Now, now," Xellos said gently. "That will get you nowhere. The sooner you go to sleep, the sooner you can wake up and help us with the wedding plans."

"Really?" Lecia asked, perking up.

"Of course, little one!" he chuckled, and took them up the stairs.

Harold found him just as he was sneaking out of Luna's room, Lecia having fallen asleep after several stories. Xellos held Gorran carefully, leery of waking the child, since he so rarely seemed to sleep, anyway. He saw the large man his direction and smiled, preparing to move past, when Harold put a heavy hand on Xellos' shoulder, looking him straight in the eye. "You stay out of her room," he said sternly. "I understand now that you really do love her, and I also know that it's a little late to be worried about this sort of thing. She's still my little girl, though, and she can be dishonored all she likes outside of this house, but while she's in it, I'd like her treated with the proper respect." Xellos opened his mouth to reply, but Lina's father continued. "I also know that locking you in your room or other such nonsense isn't going to do any good. You're too strong and crafty for that sort of thing. So, I'll just ask you, one father to another, please keep your hands off of my daughter until after the wedding."

Xellos swallowed hard. Now that Lina knew that he loved her he wanted to show her just how much. Still, the pleading in the man's eyes was unmistakable, and Xellos understood immediately that it was some sort of test. He could pass or fail as he chose, but the result would determine whether or not he was ever accepted as a true part of Lina's family. "You have my word, Mister Inverse," he said solemnly.

"That's my boy," Harold said, patting Xellos on the arm and walking off to his room.

Xellos continued to his own quarters and gently laid the baby down in the crib. He hit the floor, hiding in case Gorran woke up and looked around, but after a few moments the child remained asleep and he figured it was safe. Quietly he went to his satchel and fished out a quill, ink, and paper, and scratched a brief love letter and explanation to Lina. He was fairly certain that she wanted him in her bed as badly as he wanted to be there. Still, a promise was a promise, He could only hope Lina understood.

The next morning it appeared that she had, albeit reluctantly. "Why'd you pick now, of all times, to have a sense of honor?" she growled, pulling out a chair next to his at breakfast.

Xellos grinned. "Oh, I just thought it would be more romantic," he said loudly, then scooted nearer to her and began to whisper, his voice too low for anyone else to hear. "Because your father asked me to, and I assumed you'd had enough trouble with him already. If you want him to throw a fit about this, though, I'll more than willingly meet you in the bath in five minutes."

Lina blushed and shook her head. "We'd better get married soon, then," she grumbled.

"I intend to do everything in my power to make it so," he declared.

They went to the tailor shop as soon as it opened, Thalia presenting them and explaining what they wanted done. He and Lina stood meekly by as they were poked, prodded, and measured. It took quite a while, and while Lina was picking out fabrics for her gown (he had elected to let Thalia take care of that for him) he looked about for a messenger boy. It didn't take him long to find a teenaged boy willing to run an errand for him, so Xellos pressed a gold coin and a letter into the boy's grateful palm and sent him running. He stopped at a jeweler's shop on the way back to the tailor's and sold off a few of his more ancient pieces, and if he hadn't had his bag with him at the time he would have been hard-pressed to lug around all the gold from his profits.

After a while the tailor announced he was finished, and that, with proper incentive, he could be persuaded to delay the other orders he was working on and devote all his attention on the wedding clothes. Thalia's face reddened a bit and Lina was all set to Fireball the man into oblivion when Xellos stepped forward and dumped a handful of gold on the counter. It was enough money to feed a family of six Linas for two weeks, and the tailor nearly fell out of his chair when he saw it. "See to it that everything is absolutely perfect," Xellos said softly, and the tailor nodded vigorously.

"Absolutely, sir. I should have these garments done in three days."

"Three days?" Lina roared, but Xellos quickly went to her side, turning her hand palm-up and kissing the center.

"He can't go faster without sacrificing quality," he murmured gently. "After all, you want them to be perfect, don't you? Besides, three days is still unusually quick."

"I guess it IS fast," Lina grumbled, pressing her lips together.

"I just hope that our dear friend here doesn't cut any corners," Xellos said, voice low and a little sinister.

"I take pride in my work," the tailor announced, face red and scowling.

Xellos smiled and nodded, happy that his implied insult had worked. Now, hopefully, the man would work even harder in order to convince his customers that he had spared no technique or expense. "Thank you," Xellos said happily. "We'll be by in three days to make sure everything fits correctly."

"See you then," the tailor said, and Xellos took Lina and Thalia each by an arm and escorted them out of the shop.

The next stop was the florist's, where Xellos strode up to the counter and told the first employee he saw that he needed a bouquet of seven wild white roses ready in four days' time. The assistant seemed panicked and asked where he was supposed to get wild flowers, and Xellos motioned him over. "Here," he said in a low voice, pressing gold into the young man's hand. "I think this should be enough motivation. If not, do you see that woman over there, the one with the stunning red hair?"

The man swallowed and nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good. If you don't have a bouquet ready when I come to pick it up, that lovely woman is going to return here and blow you to teeny, tiny bits. Do you understand?"

The young fellow nodded again, eyes the size of saucers. The hand that clutched the gold trembled violently, the money clinking together in his palm. "Th-they'll be ready, sir," he stammered.

"Excellent," Xellos said, restoring his expression to his customary benign smile. "Thank you very much." He left the counter and walked back over to the women, still smiling. "Shall we?"

"Your fiancee is very wealthy," Thalia commented to her daughter.

Lina raised an eyebrow and regarded Xellos carefully. "Yeah, he sure is slinging around the big bucks today," she said. "Where did you get all that money, Xellos?"

He sighed and patted her hand. "I had to sell off some of my older acquisitions," he replied sadly. "That one pendant was over six hundred years old."

"WHAT?" Lina shouted, eyes blazing, and made nearly everybody in the street stop and stare at her. "You sold your priceless jewelry without consulting me?"

Xellos saw the potential danger in the situation and gently smoothed her untamable hair. "Yes, dearest," he said softly. "You never wear jewelry, and I certainly didn't need them anymore. Besides, we can always buy them back someday, if you miss them so much. I, for one, prefer to have one perfect day tucked away in my memory forever rather than a satchel full of tarnished relics."

"Tarnished priceless relics," Lina groaned, putting a hand over her eyes. She stopped, took a deep breath, then looked him straight in the eyes. "Fine," she said. "But you're going to make it up to me somehow."

"I already have something planned," he said mysteriously. "You have to wait until our wedding night to see it."

She winked at him when her mother wasn't looking and gave him a stealthy pinch on the bottom. "I've seen THAT," she chuckled.

Xellos grinned. "Oh, that's part of my plan, don't you worry, but that's not what I was talking about."

"I look forward to it, then," she murmured, and he felt his heart melt.

"As do I," he replied, leaning down and kissing her tenderly on the mouth.

"Ahem," Lina's mother said. "Are we ever going to get to the store, or are you two lovebirds too busy?"

Lina blushed and covered her lips with her fingers, glancing sidelong at Xellos. "Lead the way, Mother," he said with a smile, and they followed her to Inverse Grocery.

"Praise be!" they heard Harold boom as soon as they walked through the door. "I've been desperate for you to return!"

"What's wrong?" Thalia asked, running over to her husband and quickly embracing him.

"The children," he replied, shaking his head.

"Are they all right?" Xellos and Lina asked simultaneously, Lina clutching his hand and gripping it hard.

"They're fine," Harold muttered. "It's my store and customers that need to be saved."

Xellos glanced around and saw Lecia weaving in and out of the displays, giggling like a lunatic. Every once in a while she'd grab something and stuff it into her mouth, leaving a trail of debris and general chaos. Gorran was confined to a pen behind the counter, screaming his lungs out, and that's when he noticed that the shop was completely deserted except for the family. "My goodness," he breathed.

"A few customers came in earlier, but Lecia bothered them so much with questions that some of them didn't even bother to buy anything. Then Gorran started shouting and it was all over. I've been trying to keep her out of most everything, but she got into some maple-fruit and has been going bananas ever since. When I tried to calm her she threw a spell at me, and if her aim had been better it'd be my bald melon you'd be seeing destroyed instead of those burning ones over there."

Xellos winced and looked. Sure enough, a pile of smoldering fruit was not too far to his left, the bin still bearing scorch marks. "I'm terribly sorry," Xellos said.

"They usually behave better than this," Lina added.

Xellos shook his head. "There's no excuse for this kind of behavior," he muttered. "Lecia!" he called. "Get over here now, please."

"I'm busy playing, Daddy," he heard her reply from somewhere in the store.

Lina, however, did not appear ready to wait. 'NOW!" she bellowed, and Lecia immediately barreled out from between two stands of apples.

"What, Mommy?" the little girl asked, blinking rapidly and entire body shaking. Occasionally she would twitch violently, but her chattering teeth was the most alarming symptom to Xellos. She absolutely could not sit still, eyes darting about this way and that.

"How dare you misbehave like that! You could have ruined the store or started a bad fire!" Lina scolded, her voice rising in pitch.

"But, Mommy, I just wanted to play, but none of the people here would play, and Grandpa was busy with Gorran, and it all tasted so good-"

Lina's face turned increasingly red as Lecia hiccupped. "I don't care!" she bellowed. "There is no excuse for that sort of bad behavior!"

"You were nearly as bad when you were a child, although your magic didn't come so early," her father said with a raised eyebrow.

"Mommy's being mean to me!" Lecia wailed, her mood changing in the blink of an eye. Xellos rubbed his temple, knowing that Lecia was wired out of her head with sugar, her little body metabolizing the energy at a fantastic rate. The little girl's screaming escalated and she began to chant spells and wave her hands about. He sighed and shook his head, knowing that there was no way she could control her spells.

"Sleep," he said, reaching out and placing his hand on his daughter's head. Her eyes rolled back in her skull and she began to topple to the ground, Xellos snatching her up before she could hit. He threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and smiled benignly at Lina's parents. "Well, then, disaster averted," he grinned.

"I wish we could have done that to her," Harold muttered.

Xellos gestured for Lina's father to bring Gorran to him. "I'm terribly sorry for the damages. Please just let me know how much I owe you."

He watched as Harold exchanged a glance with his wife, then they both glanced at Lina, who was still scowling. "Sure thing," he said, and went to retrieve the crying Gorran. Xellos took the boy into his arms and kissed the top of his riotous coppery hair.

"There, there, love," he cooed, nuzzling the baby's soft cheek. "It's okay now, Daddy's here."

Gorran's wailing quieted a bit and he gripped Xellos' yellow shirt, burying his face in the fabric. "Is he okay?" Lina asked irritably, mouth screwed up in anger.

"Yes, I think he's just overexcited," Xellos explained gently. "I think we should go home."

"Yes, let's," Thalia said, gently taking Lina by the elbow and leading her from the store.

Xellos followed them, then turned at the entrance. "Do you need assistance tidying up?" he asked, surveying the wreckage of the store one last time.

"You're used to traveling with my daughter, aren't you?" Harold chuckled. "I imagine she usually causes more damage than this when she loses her temper."

"Yes, but I don't mind. We haven't been put in the poorhouse yet. Find some young ones to help you out. Don't hesitate to put their time on my bill."

"Sure thing, Mister Xellos. I'll be home late, I guess, so don't keep dinner waiting."

Xellos smiled and nodded. "As you wish," he replied, and followed the women home.

They got home, woke up Lecia, and Lina promptly had Xellos bathe her. Lina stood in the bathroom, ranting the entire time, and soon had Lecia feeling properly guilty and on the verge of tears. Then Lina condemned the little girl to time alone in her father's room, and Xellos really didn't have the energy to argue. Lecia truly had comported herself terribly, and his brand of punishments were not only extreme but completely unsuited to visit upon a human he loved. Of course, the only time he had ever meted out punishment was as a Monster, and his darling daughter did not deserve that, even if he could bring himself to use them upon her, which he most certainly couldn't.

Lecia made to stay in Xellos' room, he and Lina went downstairs to collect Gorran. The child, however, was being fed by his grandmother, and Thalia asked Xellos to bring in the laundry. Xellos agreed and went out into the yard, taking down garments, towels, and sheets. It only took him a minute, and it was actually rather pleasant to be outside at sunset. The air was fresh and cool against his skin, and the colors in the sky were absolutely breathtaking. When he was finished he called out to Thalia that he was going to put the linens in the closet and retreated to the back of the house, near the study, where such things were kept. On the way back, however, he felt the back of his shirt being grabbed, and before he could react he was pulled into the broom closet. He grunted as he was slammed into a wall, a hand clamped over his mouth, and then suddenly lips were upon his neck, teasing at his Adams apple. He knew it was Lina, for he could recognize the lovely, slightly spicy scent of her hair and skin. "Lina, what are you-" he began, but was silenced as she conquered his mouth with a burning kiss, effectively driving all questions from his throat.

"Hush," she whispered, voice heavy. "You little bastard, not coming to me last night."

"But your father said-"

"I don't care what he said. You're my man, my fiancee, and I'll do what I like with you."

"I really think we should wait-"

"Are you out of your mind?" she hissed, drawing another searing line of kisses down the side of his throat, simultaneously sliding her hands underneath his shirt and up to his chest. "After all those lovely things you did for me, after what you said, I only want you more. It's driving me crazy, Xellos."

He gasped as she drove a hand into his pants and gripped him. Leaning back against the shelves, he couldn't supress his moan. "Lina," he panted, swallowing hard."Don't talk," she said huskily, and he could feel the fabric of her trousers brushing against him as they dropped to the floor. She took his hands and guided them to her thighs and rear, folding his fingers in her flesh.

She was right, it had been insanity not to go to her last night. He had, of course, wanted her desperately, and their forced, brief celibacy made his need for her even greater. The smell of her, the feel of her, the sound of her voice.... All drove him mad with desire, and his courtship hadn't helped at all. She had been more tender, more radiant during the past few days than he had ever seen her before, and he thought he would crack in half and burst into flame from the passion burning inside of him. It was lunacy to try and stay away from her, especially when she was guiding his hand to the apex of her thighs as she grabbed his member firmly. Although he wasn't actually touching her yet, he could still feel the heavy dampness of her, and the awareness of it made a surge of blood fill his organ even more tightly. Lina was making small noises against his chest as he slid his fingers inside of her, the sounds almost like whimpering. She wrapped one of her legs around his and pushed her hips toward him, almost as if she was attempting to climb up his body. "Xellos," she whispered, her voice cracking. He maneuvered around so that she was the one pressed to the shelves in the tiny closet, about to hitch both her legs up over his waist when the door swung open behind them.

"Ah-ha," the voice purred, the sound of laughter at the edge of the tones. "I should have known you'd be up to something like this."

Xellos shut his eyes against the sudden brightness and clenched his jaw. Oh dear, they had been discovered. "Luna!" Lina gasped, suddenly clinging to Xellos for a different reason. He stood perfectly still, his head bowed.

"Hey, Sis," Luna replied, and Xellos didn't have to turn around to know she was grinning.

Sighing, Xellos pulled Lina's hand out of his pants, where her grip had turned painful in her fright, and carefully adjusted himself. He left his shirt untucked until his arousal became less apparent and turned to Luna, plastering his trademark smile on his face. "I see you've stumbled upon us," he said, trying his best to act sheepish and draw attention away from Lina as she pulled on her pants.

"Well, broom closets generally don't make quite so much noise," she said with a slow smile, her eyes glittering beneath her bangs. "Mom thought you'd both disappeared a bit abruptly and got worried. Of course, I don't think this situation quite crossed her mind."

"I certainly hope not," Xellos said emphatically, feeling Lina tug her belt tightly around her. He sighed and slid out of the closet, then turned and helped Lina out as well.

Luna chuckled and moved closer, Lina flinching at the proximity and closing her eyes, sweat beading at her temple. "Oh, quit being such a baby," Luna growled. "I'm not going to hit you. I never hit you, not even when we were kids."

"No, but the psychological stuff you did to me was even worse!" Lina complained, slowly edging back toward Xellos.

"Hey, you were a brat growing up. Nobody could tell you what to do. Besides, how was I ever going to get you to do what you needed to do for yourself? You never did anything unless someone scared you silly."

Xellos sighed and put his arm around Lina's waist. "Well, it was worth a shot, dearest. Do you think you can make it just three more nights?"

"No," she pouted angrily.

"I'll make it up to you on our wedding night," he whispered into her ear and was gratified when he felt her blush deeply.

"Promise?"

"Promise," he murmured, kissing her earlobe.

"All right, lovebirds," Luna said crossly. "Time to help Mom with dinner. I heard what happened at the shop today, and Dad will be wanting to eat when he gets home."

Xellos began to gently herd Lina down the hallway. "He said not to wait for him," Xellos said, glancing over his shoulder at Luna.

Luna's lips twisted in a smile. "Do you believe Lina when she tells you that?"

"Of course not."

"Well, guess who she inherited most of her personality traits from?"

"I had already guessed that," Xellos said with a sigh, and before long they reached the kitchen.

The day of the wedding was finally at hand. Xellos was fascinated by the whole process. As a Monster he hadn't been exposed to such things, after all, unless he happened across them by chance while destroying things. Lina was carted away before he could see her, and everyone insisted it was bad luck until she gave herself to him at the ceremony. When he asked about the tradition and they told him that Lina was supposed to "give herself away" to him while he waited at the altar, he replied that such a thing was unacceptable. If Lina was going to give herself away to him, he should do the same to her. He asked to see her at once so he could tell her, but of course they forbid it, nor would anyone take the message to her. Not left with any recourse, he had simply put a binding spell on them all and was about to take matters into his own hands when someone relented. Satisfied that his wishes were being relayed, he submitted to the strenuous bathing rituals and long, arduous project of being properly dressed.

It took forever, but evening finally came, the light golden as it slanted through the sky before sunset, and Xellos was escorted to the site of the wedding in a strange little litter. He thought there were far easier ways to do such things, but when he tried to offer more reasonable solutions he was quickly silenced by Lina's father. The entire day he had had to endure lectures from the large man, and to be perfectly honest he was about a heartbeat away from putting a sleep spell on Harold. It was his wedding day, after all, and enough was enough. He had two children with Lina; he was fairly certain he knew how to deal with her by now.

They ushered him to a makeshift tent and tidied him once more, straightening his long coat and repinning some of the fabric. The tailor made another appearance and fussed over him, then announced that the bride was also ready. It was time.

The men released Xellos and he found himself in the park by the lake that was really a pond, not too far from the rocks where he had proposed to Lina. He stood for a moment and took in the surrounding scenery. The light was like honey through the trees, sweet, warm, and golden, and a few chairs had been set up in rows on the grass. Only about twenty people were in attendance, and Lina's mother and father took their seats in the front row. He walked forward until he was at the end of the aisle between the chairs, and then he spotted Lina.

Her hair was like spun copper in the evening sun, falling about her shoulders in molten, lovely waves. Flowers were pinned in her hair at the crown of her head, bits of ribbon cascading down her tresses. Her gown had a form-fitting bodice, the fabric satiny and embroidered, flaring out right at her narrow hips to spill about her in frothy, lacy waves. The straps were just slightly off the shoulder, and her arms were covered with satin gloves up past the elbow. She was an apparition of beauty, a goddess, and he felt his mouth go dry with awe.

Lina smiled at him, her eyes flickering and the set of her mouth tense, and he could tell that she most likely had a death-grip on her bouquet of wild white roses. She took a deep breath and stepped towards him, and he was at her side in an instant. It was very difficult for him not to immediately carry on about her loveliness, but her attention was fully trained on the altar, and so that was where he led her. Lecia appeared out of nowhere and squealed as she saw her parents, then raced up and down the center aisle, tossing petals with impunity, sometimes even at the guests. Finally Thalia came and collected the little girl, who immediately began chattering at Gorran, who was in Harold's lap, how pretty their parents looked. Xellos smiled at Lina, who lowered her eyes and blushed. He almost laughed. Lina Inverse, bandit killer, enemy of all who live, blushing bride.

She took hold of his arm and he led her down the center aisle, claiming her and being claimed in the same movement. Her arms quivered slightly, and he wondered if she was really so nervous. Didn't she know that he wasn't trapping her, that by committing to one another they were actually setting each other free from doubt and worry? "It will be fine," he whispered to her, and she looked up at him and smiled. His heart pounded away in his chest and he knew for certain that he had never seen anyone so breathtaking in his entire existence.

Finally they reached the alter where Luna was waiting for them. Gone was the waitressing uniform or the soft, shapeless clothes she wore about the house. She stood before them in full formal regalia, dressed as the Knight of Ciephied. Her long, white robes were covered by ceremonial plate armor around her torso, a heavy necklace with a crest resting on top of even that. Her shoulders were covered by a soft cloak, hemmed in gold, and she wore a tall, conical hat with many designs on the band and a jewel set between her eyebrows. In one hand she held the long, heavily-ornamented lance of her station, and Xellos had to admit that she looked both warrior-like and priestess-like in the same moment. Power radiated from her like heat, and all doubts he might have had that the soul of Ciephied resided in her vanished. The look in her eyes was wistful, determined, and joyous all at once. She was happy to see her sister happy, Xellos could tell. "Do you two souls wished to be joined here and now in holy matrimony?" she said, voice clear and strong.

"We do," Xellos and Lina answered simultaneously, although Xellos snickered inwardly at the "holy" part, and the ceremony began.

It only took about a half-hour, but that was long enough for him. He found all the talk about the gods incredibly tedious, and he knew that Lina wasn't even paying attention. Her eyes had sort of glazed over, and he realized that she was terrified. She had shown great courage in agreeing to seal herself to him forever, but at present she was so shocked that he doubted she even knew what she was doing. Then it came time for the vows, and her trembling became so violent that a few petals fell from her bouquet. She stared at him in wide-eyed panic as Luna spoke the words she was supposed to repeat, and then when it actually came time for her to speak she just looked at him, silent. Luna cleared her throat and Lina looked at her like she was some sort of mythical beast, eyes huge and uncomprehending. Xellos, however, had been allowed to take hold of her left hand at some point during the ritual, and he squeezed it gently, gazing into her eyes. She blinked at him a few times, then repeated what Luna had said, her voice shaky at first, then growing in strength. Xellos smiled in appreciation and repeated what Luna told him to, adding in a few things just so Lina would know he meant every word he said. Finally they were finished, exchanging amurium rings and placing them on one another's fingers, then a silken cord was tied in a knot around their hands, symbolizing their eternal union. Xellos was ordered to kiss Lina, which he did with much enthusiasm. Lina dropped her bouquet on the ground and wrapped her arms around his neck, and they kissed for much longer and with far more passion than was appropriate.

"Let's eat!" Lina's father finally called, and Xellos' new bride abandoned him as she raced her father toward the banquet tables set up behind the chairs. Xellos sighed and smiled to himself, shaking his head, when Lecia came over and took his hand.

"Is this 'happily ever after,' Daddy?" she asked.

He picked her up in his arms and pecked her on the cheek. "I hope so, little one," he replied, and followed Lina toward the food.

Dinner was tasty, the cake was fabulous, and only a few sentimental speeches were made. Honestly, humans were so strange. A couple of people got drunk, and the first dance with Lina had been magical. It reminded him of all those years ago, when they were at that springtime festival, and he had held her close. Now, of course, things were better, much better. He knew where he would be in the next ten years, right at Lina's side, and he knew that he never needed to worry about becoming a Monster again. Still, as the stars came out and the night wore on, he felt his sense of urgency grow. "Thank you, everyone, for coming," he said brightly. "My wife and I are very happy you could make it." There were cheers from the dozen people still left, and Xellos bowed. "Mister and Misses Inverse, thank you very much for watching the little ones for a few days. I deeply appreciate it."

"Huh?" Lina asked, brows furrowing slightly as she looked up at him from her chair.

"It's time to leave, dearest," he replied, bending down and sweeping her from her seat and into his arms.

"What?" she cried, clutching to him, eyes wide, and Xellos kissed her on the forehead, just beneath her twin moles, before winking out of existence.

He rematerialized a few moments later, a wooden desk in front of them. Gently putting down Lina, he leaned against the desk for a few moments, resting. Teleporting really wore him out, even with Luna's protective amulet. The two of them had worked for days, enchanting the medallion just right to let him teleport twice without great cost to his body- once to their honeymoon and once home. "Where are we?" Lina gasped, staring around at her.

A middle-aged woman appeared behind the desk, smiling. "Hello, madam, and welcome to Mountain Mists Resort and Spa."

"Resort and Spa?" Lina repeated.

"Welcome to our honeymoon," Xellos said with a little bow, feeling some of his strength return. "I believe we have reservations under the name Inverse?"

The woman pulled out a ledger and ran a finger down one of the columns. "Oh, yes, here you are. Your reservation was made by a lad just yesterday. You're arriving a little later than we expected."

Xellos shrugged and hooked an arm around Lina's waist, pulling her close. "I apologize. Our wedding reception went a little long."

The woman frowned slightly, then apparently smiled away her confusion. "Oh, no worries. Your cabin is all ready. Breakfast is tomorrow morning from six until ten. A booklet of treatments, springs, and services will be in your room."

Xellos nodded as she slid a key across the counter to him. "Thank you," he said, glancing at Lina's startled expression.

"Your cabin is down the back path. Walk about fifty paces and you'll see a trail on your left, lit by lanterns. Simply follow it up until the next fork, then go right. You have one of our exclusive honeymoon cabins at the end of that path. You're number seventeen."

"Once again, many thanks," Xellos said, and led Lina out into the night.

Lina immediately began hammering him with questions, none of which were bringing him closer to his goals of that evening. Gently smoothing out the skirts of her gown, he bent and slung her over his shoulder, whistling as he walked to drown out her shouting. She railed and struggled all the way to the cabin, where he unlocked the door and transferred her to his arms, carrying her across the threshold.

Lina gasped in awe and clutched at his shirt. In the center of the room stood an enormous bed, a gauzy canopy surrounding it, and a fire was blazing in the hearth, driving away the chill in the mountain air. There was a set of exquisite tables and chairs, and there was a large, soft rug in front of the fire. To one side an overstuffed chair and sofa sat, and a large bathroom could be seen through a doorway. It was an absolutely lovely little space, and Xellos felt extremely satisfied.

He gently set Lina down and turned her so that she faced him. "Well?" he murmured, smiling.

"It's beautiful," she replied, grinning back. "I didn't even know you had a honeymoon planned. How did you manage to keep it from me?"

He winked and raised his index finger. "That's a secret," he giggled, and she reached out and smacked him on the arm.

"You'll never change," she growled.

He dropped his smile and took her into his arms, gazing deeply into her eyes. "Lina, beloved, we have the rest of our lives to spend together. You could not have given me a greater gift."

"Xellos," she murmured, eyes sparkling as she looked up at him.

He leaned down her and kissed her softly, his brow furrowing as she suddenly tensed in his embrace. Moving forward, she suddenly squeezed her eyes shut and turned her face away from him so that his lips landed upon her cheek. Xellos looked at her, surprised, and noted that she was trembling slightly. "Lina?" he asked gently, reaching up and smoothing her hair away from her face. "Are you all right?"

Her eyes remained shut and she shook her head vigorously, her lips pursed. "I know it's our wedding night, but. . . . It's just. . . . Since you told me that you. . . . And I said that I, you know, you, too. . . . Is it going to be different?"

He took a deep breath and studied her a moment, her body still quivering. Her hands were curled into tight fists, her entire figure rigid. Sometimes it was very difficult to speak Lina's special cryptic language, but he thought he knew what she meant. Lina, after all, was far more sensitive than it seemed, and she was desperately afraid of getting hurt. Gently taking one of her hands, he uncurled her fingers and kissed her pink knuckles. "You're worried that something will have changed, that if you let me in even closer you'll be hurt?" he asked softly.

"It happened once before," she murmured.

"You're nervous? Because this will be the first time we have joined our bodies in true love?"

Lina snorted, but even with her eyes closed there was a look of pain and fear on her face. "We've had sex hundreds of times, Xellos," she growled. "Besides, true love doesn't exist. Trust me, I know."

He sighed and shook his head, not letting her out of his grasp when she tried to move away. "How do you know?" he whispered, putting his mouth close to his ear. He could feel the soft flesh of her ear rub against his lips as he spoke, and a slight tremor ran the length of her body as he did so. "When I call for you, don't you feel something inside you answer? Don't we vibrate at the same frequency?"

"I don't want to give myself up," she murmured,burying her face in his chest in an odd moment of vulnerability.

"You're not giving yourself up, beloved, you're only sharing it. I will only take from you what you want to give me. You can have all of me. I'm the only Monster to ever have a heart, to ever love. In return for that amazing, unexpected gift, I am yours until the end of time. Don't you see that it's enough for me to know that you'll accept me and treasure my gift to you by loving me?"

Her eyes finally opened and she blinked up at him, eyes slightly moist and cheeks flushed. The soft, full curve of her lips was parted, showing just the smallest bit of her white teeth. "Do you promise?"

He smiled down at her, full of tenderness. "Didn't you hear anything I said during that ceremony?" he asked. "The ceremony was ridiculous, but every single word I uttered was the absolute truth. I will never use your love for me against you, nor will I otherwise betray you. I promise to love you and cherish you always, to the grave and beyond."

"Will it be different?" she murmured again, fiddling nervously with the embroidery on his coat.

"Yes, but it will be better. We're free, dearest Lina, free from all that doubt and confusion of before. Now when we touch one another it will be out of confidence and not desperation."

She had no reply for him, her eyes downcast. He gazed down at her thick eyelashes, the tips of them fading from dark brown to blonde, so close that they nearly grazed the fabric of his coat. So, she doubted him. Frustrated by the bulky fabric of his ornamental coat, he released her and laid it over the backs of one of the chairs. He discarded his vest and boots as well, finally standing before her in only his thin cotton shirt and finely-woven trousers. Moving slowly, he reached up and gently plucked the flowers from her hair, also laying them on the chair, and removed her gloves. The amurium ring he had given her so many years ago shone faintly on the finger of her left hand, making him smile. "What?" she whispered, glancing at him before moving away.

"I almost wish that this was the first time for both of us," he murmured, taking her slender form in his arms once more and running a finger along the perfect little shelf created by her collarbone.

"The first time is clumsy, painful, and short," she said with a little more vigor.

His smile broadened. "Very well, then, but the first time between two people is always filled with a delicious tension and anticipation. There's something magical about its awkwardness, don't you think?"

"Maybe," she conceded, blushing.

He let his fingers dance along the warm, sensitive flesh of the back of her neck. "Do you remember the first time I was ever inside you?" he whispered against her ear, letting his lips cling a little to her skin.

"Yes," she replied, closing her eyes as the slightest of shudders passed through her body.

The corners of his mouth curled more impishly as he heard her answer. "You're still so tense. Are you truly so nervous to truly make love to me?"

"We've made love many times," she replied roughly.

"True, but only with our bodies. This time it will be with our very hearts and souls," he murmured, letting his hand trail down the back of her neck and spine until he was gently gripping her rear, pulling her upwards and closer to him. She trembled again, eyes closed once more, and he gently lifted her heavy hair, the molten copper of her tresses pouring over his arm as he did so. Leaning forward, he kissed the side of her neck, his tongue darting out and tracing the tendon. Her trembling turned into a shiver and he saw little goose bumps appear on her skin. Well, that was progress, he supposed. Hooking a finger underneath the strap of her gown, he let his fingers wander her pale, flawless skin, his mouth following his touch as he mapped every single curve of bone and muscle in her shoulders. She rolled her head back to give him more access to her throat, and he took her invitation, kissing her neck gently. "I love you, Lina," he whispered against the curve of her jaw, pressing her body more tightly to his.

"I-I love you, too," she sighed, fingers clutching the back of his neck. She was doing better, but she was still far too tense.

"Here," he breathed, and slowly undid the closures at the back of her dress, lifting her out of it as if it were some sort of husk. Suddenly she stood before him in lacy underwear, her silk stockings held up by delicate garters. He took a moment to stow the dress on the sofa, then took her in his arms again, reveling in the feeling of her warm, soft skin beneath his hands. This time she accepted his mouth when he tried to kiss her, and he could feel her fingers caress his chest and stomach through the space between the buttons of his shirt. Her touch was tentative, though, and he could tell she was still not relaxed.

Making sure her mouth was still occupied, he pushed down her ornate bustier, little thrills dancing up and down his spine as he gently brushed her rosy nipple. Her body jerked a little at his touch and he led her over to the bed, his hand on the small of her back, guiding her. He sat on the edge of the mattress and pulled her into his lap, supporting her with one hand as he leaned her backwards and kissed the red, pert nipple. The gentle, dovelike curve of her breast rose before him and he closed his eyes, savoring its softness beneath his lips. Her fingers slowly worked their way into his heavy hair, her own tresses cascading into his lap like liquid fire. The real fire in the hearth popped and crackled, and suddenly he felt an incredible heat in his body, one he knew had no cause other than the slim woman in his embrace. His free hand moved down to the smooth, firm expanse of her thigh and slowly undid the garter fastenings, pushing down her stocking and caressing the even silkier skin beneath. Her muscles clenched beneath his touch, and he smiled against her breast, opening his mouth wider to lap at her nipple. A sharp breath escaped her and she arched, finally allowing him enough space to undo the lacing of the bustier. He had it off of her in a moment and gently nuzzled the space between her bare breasts, pausing a moment before drawing a line of kisses down her stomach and dipping his tongue in her shallow navel.

Lina heaved a great sigh of pleasure, and he twisted his body, depositing her on the bed. He quickly discarded the rest of his clothing, glad to finally be free of the white fabric, and took Lina in a gentle kiss, his tongue sliding past hers. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and he deftly relieved her of the rest of her undergarments, running his hands the length of her unbelievably soft, smooth body. Her legs spread and he sat back on his heels, recognizing what she expected him to do. There was no doubt that he was ready, but the crease between Lina's eyebrows told him that she was not. He wanted her to be relaxed and comfortable when he made love to her for the first time as her husband, and she just wasn't there yet. "Let's not rush it, shall we?" he said gently, sliding his hands beneath her shoulder blades and lifting her to sitting.

"What?" she asked, blinking at him and glancing away.

"I promised to make up for our lack of contact on our wedding night, didn't I?" he murmured, sliding around behind her and quickly arranging the pillows against the slatted headboard of the bed. He sat propped against the pillows and leaned forward, encircling her waist with his arms and pulling her to him. It took a moment for him to arrange her just so, and then he gently eased his erection into the small of her back, bringing her even closer to him. His satisfaction would just have to wait. Lina's relaxation was more important at the moment. "Be at ease," he murmured against her ear, gathering up her hair and draping it so that it flowed down his back instead of hers. She tensed up, but he gripped her shoulders and slowly made her lean against him. He very deliberately, nuzzled her neck until she moved it to the side, then began to kiss it. His hands moved around to the flat plane of her stomach and traced her navel, pressing in spots where he felt tension gathered. One of his hands moved up to her breast and cupped it, his thumb gently teasing her nipple, then the other traveled down her hip to her thigh, spreading it open and exposing the tender flesh. She shuddered and leaned against him more heavily, the pace of her breathing quickening. Very gently he traced a finger across her pelvis, paying special attention to the sensitive skin immediately above the soft triangle of the coppery hair at the top of her thighs, smiling as she began to sigh deeply and move under his touch. Good, good, she was beginning to let go. The more she enjoyed herself, the more pleasure he took from it as well.

He gripped her earlobe with his teeth as he ran both of his hands down to her thighs, kneading her skin gently and reveling in her athletic musculature. She arched against him as his fingers explored her sensitive skin, slowly creeping his caress closer to the area at the top of her legs. Her toes gripped the comforter, and she reached around herself to grip at his own thighs, her fingers digging into his skin. Very tentatively he stroked her nether lips, kissing her neck and shoulder at the same time, and was gratified as she emitted a low moan and a tremor traveled the length of her body. He spread the petals of her slowly and explored her, rewarded with a sharp cry. Locating her opening, he made sure his fingers were lubricated and slid his touch toward the front of her pelvis until he found the small, raised part he was looking for. It was no larger than a pebble, and when he stroked it she cried out in earnest, a spasm wracking her entire body. He took the top of her ear between his teeth and cupped her breast with his free hand, continuing to caress her. Her ribcage heaved against him as she began to take deep, ragged breaths. Hands gripped his knees tightly and she threw herself backwards, her short nails digging into his skin.

Hunching around her even more protectively, he snaked his other hand underneath her arm and reached between her legs, running his tongue over the side of her neck as he slid a finger inside of her. Lina uttered a squeaking noise and her hips rose off the bed. He let his hands work in tandem upon her, the small tremblings of her body transforming into all-out writhing, and he hooked his chin over her shoulder so he could better see what he was doing. Her face and neck were stained a deep red, her eyes closed as she threw her head back against his chest, soft moans coming from her parted lips. Her state of arousal was working him up as well, and he pressed his own hips against the cleft of her back as hard as he could, feeling the blood rise to his own face as she panted against him. A few times she stopped breathing altogether, biting her lip as she concentrated, and he knew with satisfaction that every thought of anxiety had been completely banished from her mind. She was completely focused on what his hands were doing to her nether regions, and nothing else mattered. Her skin was sweaty against his as she clutched at him and writhed, her moans increasing in volume. He had the feeling he could call her name, or that a group of twenty bandits could barge into the room, screaming for blood, and she wouldn't notice. She was utterly consumed by the pleasure he was giving her, and as he looked down he saw her stomach muscles clench. Her grip on his knees was so powerful that he thought even her short nails would draw blood, and then he felt her inner muscles begin to tighten around his fingers. Her breathing was so ragged he wasn't even certain if she was getting any oxygen, but he kept on going. After all, once she had enough endorphins pumping through her veins and was considerably calmer, he could go about the business of joining with her properly and without reservation. In the meantime, however, she let loose a great cry and stiffened beneath his touch, every single muscle in her body contracting as she came violently. She finally released his knees and reached behind her, gripping his shoulders as her body's quaking began to slowly calm. Soft grunts and moans came from her as she eased away from her limit, and soon she was boneless against him, her breathing returning to normal. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting him support her entire slight weight, and he chuckled as she smiled.

"Are you feeling more relaxed now?" he asked, his own breathing a bit brisk as he surveyed the expanse of her rosy skin stretched out before him. Her pink nipples still stood out in the slightly chilly air of the room, and the more he looked at them the more he wanted to start the second round.

"Are you kidding?" she murmured, a contented, sassy smile on her face. "I can't hardly move, I'm so relaxed. You've never done it quite that way to me before."

He grinned against her shoulder, resting his head there and kissing her on the cheek, his heavy hair sliding over her skin. "That was only my warmup," he whispered.

Lina giggled, the sound light and free. "I can tell. It feels like you're sticking a log into my back."

"I can't help what you do to me," he rasped.

"Oh, cripes, I don't think I have any energy left," she laughed. "Do you mind if I go to sleep while you finish your business?"

"I think that would be a mistake, beloved," he replied. "This is the first time I have had the opportunity to truly make love to you, and I do not plan to let it slip past me."

She slid down further onto the mattress until her head was resting on his firm thigh, her ruby eyes sparkling as she looked up at him. Her cheeks were still flushed and glowing, and once again he couldn't believe that someone so lovely desired him. "Xellos," she murmured, gazing at him for long moments. A devious smile curled her lips up at the corners and she lifted a slender hand, letting her fingers graze the top of his member. He gasped in delight as a shudder ran the length of his body, making Lina laugh.

"Oh, you think that's funny, do you?" he muttered. She nodded and was about to touch him again when he decided he wanted more of her. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she was too syrupy-feeling to be tense or worried, and she would now be perfectly open to what he wanted to feel with her. He wanted their bodies to be completely one, but he also wanted their hearts, minds, and souls to meld. As far as he was concerned, that singular moment of joining was their real marriage, their real promise and bond, and he was a bit anxious to get on with it. Therefore, when she smiled up at him impishly, he released the barriers he had always held in place within the rings.

Gratification swept over him as he saw her eyes widen, the full force of his emotion and desire washing over her in typhoon-sized waves. Her color immediately heightened once more and she was suddenly groping him, trying to reach his mouth with hers. He smiled and let her take it, sighing as her tongue slid into his mouth, and he rolled her beneath him, pinning her body with his. "I love you," he said passionately, the words burning his mouth with their truth, and her eyes told him the same thing. She stopped his speech again with a kiss, and he reached to her through the rings, pulling their awarenesses together and making them one. He saw her eyes widen as she suddenly noticed that she could feel herself through him, and he, too, was struck by the oddity of feeling his own skin pressed against her body from her point of view. Still, the melding was unimaginably intimate, and it just made him want her more.

Because their connection through the rings had brought her even with him in arousal levels, he didn't bother with foreplay. He knew what he wanted. Bending down, he made sure he could still kiss her, then slid inside. She cried out and clutched at him with all her limbs, crushing him to her as their heads swam with multiple awarenesses. Their heartbeats sped up and then fell into synch. When he felt as if the room had stopped spinning a little he began to move against her gently, kissing the curve of her throat as she tilted her head back and moaned. He poured all of his emotions into her as he moved, and he felt her answers as well. Their love battled, then molded through the magic of the rings and became one, just as they had become one body, and suddenly there was nothing more separating them. If it hadn't been for the electric ecstasy shooting through their veins they wouldn't have known that they still had their physical bodies, so caught up were they in the entirety of the experience. So this is what it means, he realized, to belong to someone without being owned. This perfect moment of sharing and love, this was what human beings lived for. It seemed far more worthy to him than seeking the destruction of the world.

Their bodies moved in perfect tandem, neither really aware of what they were doing as bliss washed over them. The burning between them grew and grew, a myriad of colors in their minds, and it was as if they were rushing into they sky, traveling toward the stars. Dimly Xellos was aware of Lina making incredible amounts of noise, and somewhere he knew he was crying out just as much as she. He reached to her through the rings' magic and held her, opening himself to her completely, and felt her do the same for him. There would never be separation from one another again, for after this night they would always carry a piece of the other's soul within themselves. Perfect, crystalline rapture seized and held him, and suddenly his eyes snapped open, meeting Lina's clear, aware gaze. They stared at one another for a split second, then splintered into a million pieces. Xellos knew he cried out as Lina bucked beneath him, his body buried to the hilt in hers, her arms wrapped around his neck and her teeth sinking into his shoulder as they came simultaneously. He groaned, feeling completely exhausted, but also complete and cleansed. Lina had been inside him just as much as he had been inside her, and it was an experience he would treasure for the rest of his life. They truly were one life, now.

As he lay on top of her, spent and panting, he slowly began to realize that his shoulder ached and felt oddly sticky. Lina's eyes were closed now, her hair tangled as it consumed the pillows, her skin almost seeming to glow with euphoria in the firelight. He groaned and shuddered in pleasure, then leaned down to kiss her. Her hot mouth claimed his, and then he tasted something peculiar: blood.

Jerking his head back in alarm, he realized that her lips were abnormally red, but she didn't seem to notice. He pushed himself up on one arm and reached up to his shoulder, touching the sore spot there. His fingers came away red, and he realized she had actually bitten through his skin in her passion. It also seemed that not all the blood was his; she had also bitten her lip, it seemed. Well, their blood had mingled, just as their bodies, hearts, and souls had.

Lina scowled and licked her lips absently, then her eyes opened wide and she wiped at her mouth. It only took her a moment to deduce what had happened. "Oh, Xellos," she gasped, reaching out and placing her hand over his wound.

He laughed and finally pulled out of her, rolling to the side. "Don't fret, dearest. It's a superficial wound at worst. Besides, I like the fact that you did such a thing out of sheer, uncontrolled passion."

Lina blushed and curled against him, pressing her head against his chest, and through the tingling in his body he could tell she was working a healing spell. She was silent for a time, then cuddled against him even more fiercely. "I've never experienced anything like that," she whispered, her body still quaking slightly.

"I told you true love existed," he said gently. "We truly are husband and wife now, sharing everything about ourselves."

"It wasn't as frightening as I thought it would be," she admitted softly, entwining her fingers with his.

"That pleases me," he replied. "I never want my feelings for you to scare you ever again."

"I really do care about you," she murmured, almost as if she were surprising herself with the realization more than telling him how she felt.

He folded her into his embrace more tightly and kissed the crown of her head. There was nothing more he could say to her, nothing that he could express that she couldn't already feel through the rings. Whatever passed through the rings was truthful and whole. No doubts stood between them now. "I feel the same way," he whispered, and held her, reveling in the feeling of her heartbeat, until they both fell asleep.

Lina woke up feeling very weak and strangely empty, as if someone had pulled a cork in the side of her body and drained out all her negative emotions. Only happiness, contentment, and something deeper filled the spaces inside of her, and she realized that everything was caused by the man whose head lay on the pillow next to her. Xellos was still asleep, his breath coming deeply and evenly through his slightly parted, sculpted lips, his eyelids shadowed as his dark, thick hair spilled every which way. He was still holding on to her, even after a whole night had passed, the warm, slightly-rough skin of his hand on the flat plane of her stomach. That hand had once destroyed cities and lives, causing destruction so great it would take hundreds of years to repair, and yet it had also done laundry, cleaned dishes, changed diapers, bathed babies, and caressed her skin in the most tender manner possible during acts of love. She lightly drew her fingertips over the back of his palm, touching his knuckles and long, slender fingers. As graceful and artistic as they were, they did not resemble a woman's hands in the least, and she shuddered slightly as she remembered their strength as they clutched her.

Xellos had taken her to a place she had never been before, a place where she was completely safe and it was all right for her to bare herself to him completely. In that place no one would ever hurt her or make fun of her for her feelings. No, in that place she reigned supreme, goddess of the swirling colors and warm, syrupy currents. He had let her enter his heart, the core of his feelings, through the magic of the ring, and she was well aware of the preciousness of that gift. What he had done to her the night before had no equal, their joining truly a thing of love and not just lust and need, and she had felt herself break into a million pieces and disintegrate as she tumbled over her limit. In that moment hey were no longer two people, but one being and one heartbeat.

She loved him even more fiercely because of it. Monster Xellos had been likable enough, but she loved human Xellos with all her heart, the nature and intensity of her feelings surprising even her. She would do anything for the man she shared her body, heart, and life with, and that realization was almost as shocking as the conception of her love itself. Still, it was all true, and as she fingered the amurium ring on his hand, she was glad she had decided to marry him. It was good to be the wife of a husband who loved her so much.

Lina smiled and nestled into Xellos more closely, holding up her own hand to gaze at the ring on her own finger. She really was going to have to learn how to control its magic, so she could send her feelings to Xellos anytime she wanted to. The rings were an incredible tool, and she knew she would never be confused about her feelings or his again. If she was, she could simply look at them or open herself to Xellos, and between the two of their great minds the solution should become clear.

She held her hand next to Xellos', gazing at how the rings looked on their hands, matching, when suddenly his hand moved and pressed her to him. All of his taut, toned, hard muscles pressed into her back, one muscle harder than all the others. Well, if she had learned anything about the male body throughout her years, it was that one part woke a little bit earlier than the rest.

"Good morning, beloved," he murmured against the back of her neck.

"Good morning," she echoed with a smile. "I see part of you is happily rising with the dawn."

Xellos chuckled, the sound warm and soft, and wrapped his muscular arm around her tightly. "I suppose I could try to control it, if I really wanted to, but it seems to make more sense to put it to use, don't you think?"

Her face became flushed with desire and she felt the first stirrings of passion low in her abdomen. She didn't know why, but she could almost never get enough of his slender, graceful body. Of course, his body was perfect, completely proportionate. He was also better-endowed than one would have suspected, but she supposed that he had been taking an utterly flawless physical form for so many thousands of years as a Monster, it just stuck when he became human. Well, she certainly wasn't going to complain.

She lifted her lips to his in answer, and soon she was on her back, eyes closed, and reveling in the silkiness of his touch everywhere on her body. His feelings for her were evident in every caress, and it just made her want him more. The heavy tingling and burning had already begun in the depths of her pelvis and she acted on it, tracing his body with her hands even as he fondled hers. It was wonderful to feel all his silky skin and sleek muscle beneath her hands, the glossy weight of his dark hair trailing over her flesh as he kissed her ribs and stomach. Xellos knew his job well, and it was only moments before she was aching to pull him inside of her.

He chuckled and fought her for a while, then finally acquiesced to her will, sliding into her gently and easily, his movements slow and tender. Kisses rained down upon her face and she tried to catch them, lulled and relaxed. That, of course, was when he switched tempos and attitudes, his teeth gently nipping at her as his thrusts became deep and strong, and suddenly it was as if someone was setting off fireworks inside of her instead of the steady, slow fire that had been there moments before. She moaned and clutched at him, kisses forgotten as he spread her thighs wider. Soon the magic of the ring began to sparkle at the edges of her mind, and suddenly all his pleasure and awareness poured into her. No, pleasure was too weak and pale a word to describe what they were feeling. She cried aloud and scrambled to clutch his back, needing some sort of purchase in the physical world to make her certain she wouldn't drown in the flood of incredible sensation, and he groaned, a shudder wracking his body as she drew her short fingernails roughly down his back. She panted and gasped against him, fighting for air, and suddenly his threshold loomed. Of course, since their feelings were joined through the ring and made the same, it became hers as well, and they smashed through it, shattering the world once more. She wasn't certain, but she thought she screamed, the sound loud and clear of tone as it left her clenched body. Xellos grunted and pushed against her roughly, eyes closed and cheeks flushed. His muscles flexed and bulged as his fists wrapped in the sheets on either side of her head, tremors wracking his body as he slowly pumped into her, features a map of abandon. Her own spasms wrenched her, her hands traveling downward to grip his firm rear as their shuddering slowed and eventually stopped. He lay on top of her for several more minutes, panting into the pillow beside her head, and she wrapped her arms around him, embracing him tightly. Emotion overwhelmed her, and she knew that there was nowhere else she'd rather be. She was right where she belonged. "Xellos," she said softly, wanting to taste his name as it rolled off her tongue. It was dark, smooth, and sinfully delicious, just like he was.

"Mmm?" he sighed, his body slowly relaxing above hers. He was becoming a dead weight, but she didn't mind his heaviness.

"I love you," she whispered, sort of surprised she was volunteering the words. Up until this point she had just been replying to his protestations, and she wanted him to know she really felt it.

He pushed himself up on an elbow and smiled down at her. Bringing a hand up, he gently traced her facial features with a finger, his eyes tender as they roved over her. "I love you as well, Lina Inverse," he cooed. "You're my life, my love, my universe."

She shivered at his tender words and arched upwards, embracing him and pulling back down. "I'm glad I married you," she murmured. "Now I get you forever."

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her, rolling them onto their sides. "You had me anyway, but now other people will finally understand how much we mean to one another. I suspect things will be easier from here on out."

"I sure hope so," she replied, and then her stomach gave a great rumble.

His handsome face split in a grin. "I also suspect we should get some breakfast in you before I start looking edible."

"Not a bad idea," she chuckled, patting her stomach.

He released her and sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the massive bed and throwing back the covers. He stood and stretched, the muscles in his back standing out for a moment, and as he relaxed she saw long, red, slightly bleeding tracks on either side of his spine. She gasped and blushed, surprised that she had clawed him that hard. He must have heard her gasp, for he turned and raised an eyebrow at her. "What?" he asked gently, one corner of his mouth twisting upward.

"I'm sorry," she said, gesturing at his back.

Xellos laughed and shrugged. "It's quite all right, dearest. I must admit, though, that at times I wasn't sure if it was you or some wildcat I was making love to."

"I can cast a recovery spell on that," she offered, sitting up and pressing the sheets to her chest.

"If you so desire, then by all means. It would be awfully entertaining to see the looks on people's faces, though, when we go down to the baths."

She scowled playfully at his grin and scrambled over to him, catching his hand in hers and pulling him back down to the bed. "I don't need everyone knowing," she growled, but smiled as she placed her hands on his back and cast her spell. Soon his flesh was just as smooth and flawless as it had been before, and she patted his rear to let him know she was done.

Xellos winked at her and stood, going over to the chest of drawers and pulling out some of the soft, cotton clothing the resort provided. He held some out for her and helped her dress in the leggings and shapeless tunic, the garment much too big for her. She giggled and was answered by his grin, and he fished around in the drawers until he found a corded belt for her, wrapping and tucking the fabric until it fit just right. The thick, soft fabric felt good against her skin and she cuddled down in the clothes, sighing in contentment. Xellos pulled on his own set of leggings, the slender musculature of his legs clearly showing through the white cloth, then donned his own shirt. It fit his broad-shouldered frame much better than hers, and he wrapped the sides around him loosely so that she could still see the cleft between his pectoral muscles. He, too, belted the fabric, then collected two white capes made of felt from the pegs behind the front door. "These are nice clothes, although I don't really care for white," she murmured, unable to keep her eyes from the muscles of his thighs as he walked over to her and draped one of the capes over her shoulders.

"I agree completely," he said. "Still, it's convenient to have clothing provided."

He took her hand and led her out into the slightly chilly mountain air, locking the door of their cabin behind them. As he dealt with the lock she took a deep breath and gazed about. The mountains were slightly covered with mist and were quite high, and she thought she could spot her hometown in the valley far to the east. Trees covered the mountainside, so much that she could barely see the other guest cabins. Most of the cabins were smaller than theirs, though, and weren't quite as ornate. Xellos saw her looking and smiled, reaching down to take her hand. "We have one of the special honeymoon cabins," he murmured, kissing her on the temple.

"How many days will we stay?" she asked, suddenly worried about her children. It was sort of nice to be alone with Xellos again, but she didn't want her kids misbehaving for her parents, either.

"I thought four or five would be about right," he replied, leading her down the path toward the main group of buildings. "Luna took a couple of days off of work, which I compensated her for, of course, seeing as how she's working that job to pay off the debts from your sorcery schools. I figured she could handle the little ones if they got out of hand. I also thought that we needed more than just a couple of days to truly settle into these newfound feelings of ours without interruption. I would like to get to know your heart, better, Lina."

"Can't argue with any of that," she muttered, squeezing his hand and keeping her eyes on the path. The smell of food slowly wound its way into her nostrils and suddenly she took the lead, scrambling to reach the source of the smell more quickly.

Xellos chuckled and began to trot along behind her, and she was glad that he was used to her by now. He understood, luckily, that between all the sex and black magic casting she burned about three times the normal amount of calories as a normal person, and as such needed to eat much more. Okay, so she hadn't cast any black magic in the past few days, but there had been quite a bit of sex the night before. She was therefore justified in being so starving. "Don't trip, dearest," he cautioned her brightly, and she growled, taking to the air. Walking was getting her to the food too slowly, anyway. Xellos sailed behind her like a kite as she sped through the air, his giggles barely audible above the rumbling of her stomach. Soon they reached the main building and she threw open the doors, sniffing. Ah, there it was, to her left, and she rushed off in that direction, nearly pulling Xellos from his feet.

"Come ON," she growled, and he regained his balance, trotting after her once again with an idiotic grin on his face. She stopped at the doorway of a large dining hall, scanning the room for a table. Spotting one near the wall, she stomped over to it and sat, frantically gesturing for a waiter. "Over here!" she shouted, and the waiter looked at her with alarm.

The young man came over and swallowed. "Yes, ma'am? What can I get for you?"

"Menus!" she shouted, bringing her hand down on the table. "I'm starving!"

The waiter paled and nodded. "Anything to drink?"

Lina cast her eyes over the dining hall and realized that the quantities of milk she required would take too long to be served. She needed an easily-refillable drink. "Orange juice," she said.

The waiter looked at Xellos. "Just a cup of hot tea, please," he said, his eyes closed and a faint smile on his face.

"Right away," the waiter said, and scrambled away. He returned a moment later with drinks and the menus and made as if to leave, when Lina reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

"This will only take a second," she growled, eyes already scanning the menu. "Okay, I'll take from here to here," she said, drawing a line down the menu. "Triple portions."

"T-triple portions?" the waiter gasped. "Are you sure?"

"Did I sound like I wasn't sure?" Lina snapped. "Come on, chop chop!"

"A-and for y-you, sir?" the young man stammered.

Xellos smiled up at him benignly. "Oh, I'll just have the hot cereal and some toast, thank you," he said brightly. "And I suggest you bring her at least one portion of something soon."

"R-right away, sir," the waiter yelped, and scurried off.

"So hard to find a good waiter nowadays," she grumbled.

She and Xellos talked in low voices, his ankle wrapping around hers underneath the table, until their food, or at least some of hers, was ready. The meal was quite tasty and she made sort work of it, every once in a while stopping to glare at Xellos as he chuckled at her. Still, the food was good and she ate until she was stuffed, leaning back in her chair and patting her belly. "Whoo!" she sighed, dabbing at her mouth with her napkin.

Xellos smiled and pulled a slip of paper out of nowhere. "Well, now that we've eaten, we'll be just in time to partake in some massage and body wrapping. Would you like me to schedule a facial and skin treatment for the afternoon?"

It sounded a little too girly to Lina, but since it was an all-out pampering, she decided to go for it. "Okay," she said. "What are you going to do?"

He shrugged. "I'll probably do the same thing. It's good for a man's skin, too, and I'd hate for you to ever find my skin less than desirable. I was thinking I would get a private tub for this evening, though."

She raised her eyebrows, a pretty good idea in her head of what he had planned. It would be nice to sit in a hot tub with Xellos under the stars. It would be just like old times. "Sure thing," she replied, watching as Xellos paid the bill. He pulled out her chair for her and offered his hand, helping her to stand, and she let him lead her to the next activity.

"Do we have to?" she asked several days later.

Xellos chuckled and slid into his trousers. "I'm afraid so, dearest. We've been gone almost a week, and the little ones will be missing us."

"But it's so nice here," she murmured, stretching out in the massive bed. The past few days had been absolutely wonderful. Each day was spent being pampered, with people massaging her, caring for her skin and hair, and relaxing in the hot springs and pools. Xellos, of course, had been wonderful, seeing to everything, and had made love to her just about every place in every way imaginable. They had made love in their hot tub, in their bath tub, in front of the fire, on the sofa, in the chairs, on the table, on the floor, under the stars, and many, many times in the bed. Oh, she could get used to this life, she realized. She would be perfectly content to do nothing but eat, lounge around in hot springs, and make love all day. It sounded like the perfect existence to her.

She felt closer to Xellos, too. They hadn't had too terribly many conversations, most of their time being spent touching or exploring one another's hearts through the rings. He actually scared her a little more than he used to, since she could see right into his soul, but since it didn't affect his feelings for her, she decided there was no use worrying about it. Xellos had so much darkness left in him, and he truly felt nothing for anyone outside his family. If he loved you he would die for you, but if he didn't, he would dispose of you without a second glance. Lina was very, very glad that he loved her.

Still, she did wonder how little Lecia and Gorran were doing. It was nice to get to spend time with Xellos without the children around, but she missed them, too. Lecia was going to need lots of magic lessons soon, and Gorran needed to learn how to walk and talk. It seemed insane that the boy was getting so big. Perhaps Xellos was right; it was time to go home to their family. Besides, who knew what those kids were doing without their parents around?

"Fine," she said, sliding out of bed and into the clothes he offered her. He smiled and she dropped her shirt on the floor, putting her arms around his neck instead and kissing him. "This has been a wonderful honeymoon," she murmured, resting her head against his chest. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," he said, folding her into his embrace. "I hoped you would like it."

"It was perfect," she purred, reveling in his warmth. After a moment she pulled away and retrieved the shirt, pulling it on over her head. She stood still as he carefully brushed her hair, something he seemed to like to do, then pulled on her boots. They had sent their wedding attire back to town the day after their arrival and bought new clothing, so they had no luggage to speak of. Xellos took her hand and led her out of the cabin, closing up behind them, and then they settled their account at the front desk. He smiled, gathered Lina into his arms, and teleported them back to town.

He leaned against her heavily as they appeared on her parents' doorstep, his breath coming a bit heavily. "Are you sure you're okay to do that?" she asked, worried, and saw that dust was coming out of one of his fists. "What's that?'

Xellos smiled weakly and opened his hand, revealing a little pile of ash. "This is what's left of the talisman your sister and I created. It kept me from getting too terribly exhausted by the trip. There wasn't quite enough magic left in it for the return trip, though. I'll be fine in just a moment."

It turned out they didn't have a moment, for the door to the house flew open wide and a little dark streak bounded out to them. "Mommy! Daddy!" Lecia squealed, hugging Lina and then jumping on Xellos. He grunted and leaned against the wall of the house, needing the support as he picked up his daughter.

"Hello, little one," he beamed, kissing her on the forehead.

Lecia threw her arms around his neck and squeezed. "Hi! Welcome back!" she giggled.

Lina smiled and took the little girl from Xellos, hugging her tightly and settling her on her hip. "Were you a good girl for Grandma and Grandpa?" she asked.

"Yes, Mommy," Lecia said with a grin and a nod. "I ate all my supper and took my own baths and went to bed when they told me to, even if it was in the afternoon."

Lina raised an eyebrow at Xellos, who laughed. "Good, good," he said. "I'm glad to hear that. And how's your brother?"

"He's fine," Lecia said. "Grandma tried to feed him sinnach, and he spit it on her once, though."

"You mean spinach?" Lina asked, bouncing the girl slightly.

"Okay," Lecia agreed without batting an eyelash. "He's with Grandma out back, right now." She slid down Lina's body and began to run around. "Let's go see him!" she cried.

"Are you all right?" Lina asked Xellos.

He nodded, still smiling. "I think so," he replied, but took her arm when she offered it.

They followed Lecia into the back yard, and sure enough, Lina's mother and Gorran were there. Gorran was sitting on the grass in his diaper, watching a butterfly flap around his head. His eyes went wide as the insect landed in his roguish red curls, then he squealed and clapped. "Baa baaaaa aaah!" he giggled, amethyst eyes wide.

"Grandma! Gorran! Mommy and Daddy are home!" Lecia announced, running over to her brother and flopping down in the grass next to him. Gorran crawled over into her lap and pointed at the butterfly as it flew away. "Look, Gorran!" Lecia whispered, gesturing at their parents.

The baby followed her movement and his face split in an adorable grin as he spotted his parents. Lina's heart filled with tenderness as the baby boy crawled over to them rapidly, finally stopping when he had reached his father's boot. "Aaaah, aaaah," Gorran said, slapping the leather of Xellos' footwear.

Xellos chuckled and leaned down, gathering up the baby. "That's right, love, we're home," he said gently, kissing the child's chubby cheeks. Gorran squealed and took both hands, slapping at Xellos' face in delight. Xellos closed his eyes and grinned, letting Gorran tap him until the baby became bored. Then the child spotted Lina and waved his arms out to her.

"Hey, kiddo," she cooed, reaching out and taking the child from Xellos. She held him to her chest and squeezed him gently. "Did you miss us?"

"Gaaaaah!" Gorran replied loudly before disintegrating into giggles. He settled into her as she rested him on her hip, his fingers toying with a lock of her hair.

Thalia stood throughout the greetings, hands folded in front of her and a smile on her face. "Welcome back," she said softly, coming forward to embrace Lina.

"Hi, Mom," Lina sighed, closing her eyes and enjoying her mother's closeness.

"How was your honeymoon?"

Lina smiled. "Better than I thought anything could ever be," she replied, blushing when she saw Xellos smile.

Lecia came up to her and wrapped a hand in her leggings. "Do Mommy and Daddy love each other, Grandma?" she asked, finger in the corner of her mouth.

Thalia's eyes met her own and she smiled. "Yes, they do," she said softly. "Just like they should."

Lina's blush deepened and she felt a little uncomfortable. It was one thing to finally realize how she felt, but she wasn't certain she liked everyone else knowing how she felt. It made her feel vulnerable. "Geez, Mom," she grumbled.

Thalia stood and studied her for a long time, and it was as if they were the only two people in the world who existed. "You aren't going to stay much longer, are you," her mother said, and it wasn't a question. There was a note of sadness in her voice as she spoke.

"Probably not," Lina replied. "A few more days at most. We need to be moving on."

Thalia smiled, although Lina could tell that she was sad, as if she was missing her little girl already. Lina wondered how she would feel when Lecia left home. "Well, just so long as you're happy, Lina. You know that's all that ever mattered to me. I'm glad you were able to straighten things out a bit with your sister and father. They love you, too, you know."

"I know that, now," Lina murmured. "And I am happy."

"Good," Thalia breathed, and kissed her daughter on the cheek. "I love you, too.'

"And I love you, Mom."

"Where are we going next, Mommy?" Lecia asked, tugging at her trousers.

"To Seyruun, Lecia," Lina replied, glancing at Xellos. "To Seyruun."


End file.
